Sanguine Ronin
by SessInSunglasses
Summary: He haunts her dreams, this mysterious man. Maybe her sexy neighbour can shed some light on the situation, but will he tell her more than she ever thought he could know? Vampires exist? Kagome must fight for her life  and her immortal soul.
1. Prologue

Kagome Higurashi rolled over in her bed, the sheets tangled in her legs and soaked with sweat.

She whimpered, but didn't wake up.

In her dream, there was a man, only she couldn't see his face, could barely see him at all; she could feel him though, and the sensation caused a deep-seated dread to rise like bile in her throat. She was afraid, yet strangely drawn. There was a sensuality about his very presence that she couldn't deny.

She rolled over, her comforter falling to the floor in a quiet hiss of fabric and friction. She clenched her fists, and cried out, but still did not awake. He was calling to her, asking her to come to him, but things were so misty, she didn't know which way to go, only that it needed to be far away from wherever she was. She turned and turned, the mists getting redder as a moon rose before her, glowing with an unearthly sheen.

She saw an outline, and sensed long hair, black hair, which was an unusual colour, but not uncommon.

Suddenly he was before her, and his face, extremely handsome in the moonlight, looked red as he leaned into her, his lips inches from her own. This man looked like he was in his prime, the black hair that billowed behind him in silky waves fluttering like a bird's wing in the breeze. His eyes burned like embers ringed in gold.

She felt an intense bolt of innate fear knife through her, but she was frozen to the spot and couldn't move. She shut her eyes as he licked her lips, the words, _You belong to me, Kagome_, resounding through the air even though he hadn't spoken.

It was like she could hear his thoughts, and they mesmerised her, and held her to the spot. She fought, harder and harder, until a scream wrenched itself from her lips and everything went black.


	2. Only The Good Die Young

Well, guess what? I've been terrible and didn't update when I should have, but there it is. Go 300! It's my new favourite movie, and the abs... yummy! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed my tantalising little prologue there, hehe, who could the mystery man be?? Let the story unfold!! THIS IS SPARTA. We don't submit, dummy!

Deds:

**sasuke5010** - You sound quite enthusiastic. In reply I have updated. Read on, romance lovers, read on!

**Nimeway** - You flatter me too much. The prologue was a blurb meant to catch your attention, hehe! What's the point of building my fans up only to let them down at the opening of the long-awaited story? I ask you! Oh, but don't think I don't like the flattery - cuz I do - hehehe...

**Sanguine Ronin**

_Chapter One_

_**"Only the Good Die Young"**_

Inuyasha Taisho sipped a beer as he sat at the back of one of Toronto's hottest bars, Club 264. The DJ was spinning a new one, a house rhythm that made him wince with the synthesised guitar rips. It was a fast beat, and several people got up to dance.

At the bar, a young woman, dressed in a ridiculously short skirt and skimpy top, giggled becomingly to a middle-aged man in a business suit. He watched them closely as she put on her jacket, and the two of them left the establishment. Quickly, he followed.

He could hear them talking better now that they were on the street, even though there were even more people walking and cars blaring their horns in the late evening traffic.

The girl turned suddenly, leading the man down a dark alleyway, and he heard the word, "Shortcut," before he lost sight of them in a crowd just coming from the Sky Dome.

Sifting his way through the throng of baseball fans impatiently, he fielded more than one black look before he managed to enter the alley. There, at the end, he saw movement.

The woman, a prostitute, had the man against the wall, and was licking the inside of his earlobe eagerly. The man, mesmerised, as she intended him to be, grasped her around the waist and began to fondle her backside. She moved down his neck, her tongue trailing hot saliva from his ear to his throbbing jugular, and her heart quickened. The sound of it pounded in her sensitive ears, and excited her. She was so hungry...

Suddenly, she let out a blood-curdling shriek as she burst into flame and disappeared before the older man's eyes, and he was faced with Inuyasha, pointing a wooden cross in his face. The man stuttered, and then bolted, realising that he'd just been spared.

Inuyasha crouched over the body, and saw the flesh begin to regenerate. This bitch was old, indeed, to come back so quickly. Probably one of his brother's original turns. Maybe she could be of some use before he finished her.

When she opened her eyes he gripped her throat and hissed, "_Where is he_?"

She glared at him fiercely but played dumb. "Have you checked your ass, smart guy?" He squeezed her neck until he felt the bones crack, and her glare intensified, and she hissed in pain. From his jacket he pulled out a stake with a wicked point and poised it above her heart. "Answer me, bitch. I won't ask you again."

She spit in his face. He didn't flinch.

She knew her end was near, but it ate away at her pride to be so helpless in the face of this young upstart. "I don't know," she answered at last, honestly, "but I hope he strings you up good when you do find him."

Angrily, he realised that she was a dead end. Promptly he staked her, her shriek reverberating off the alley walls, and then brought out a machete, and severed her head from her body. Instantly, the corpse turned to ash in a burst of flame, before blowing away in the breeze. The head followed suit, and Inuyasha wiped his hand on his leg to rid it of the black, sooty residue. He was close, he could feel him. His trail ended here, he had to be somewhere nearby.

Inuyasha thought back, to a lifetime ago, when he had been young and in love, a time when the world was much simpler. He got up and walked away from the ashes as he let his mind drift back to the day that had led up to everything that had gone wrong.

**_-SR-_**

He'd been a demon once.

Or rather part demon, since he had had only one demon parent. His parentage, though, was as unknown to those around him as his troubled past. He was considered a pest, and had grown up stealing to feed himself.

At the age of two hundred, he'd stumbled into a small village, burned and bleeding, after a particularly fierce battle with a bat demon who'd been determined that the young man would be his dinner. Inuyasha had escaped, but passed out before being able to climb into a high tree to safely sleep his wounds off.

He'd awoken inside a hut, and at first the serene face that floated in a blur above him had seemed so beautiful, and the first thing he noticed in her eyes was compassion, but the wariness was there too. He supposed he couldn't fault her for that.

Sitting up, he'd rubbed his head, his wounds now just itchy red patches of skin. "Where am I?"

The woman sitting across the fire from him looked up from stirring the broth in the pot that hung there, and replied, "You are in good hands."

He frowned, thinking her answer had been a bit cryptic, and glanced down to the child sitting silently by the woman's side. Her left eye was covered with a piece of cloth and there was an old bloodstain on it where her eye would have rested, had she still possessed it. He guessed she'd lost it very recently.

Looking back to the woman, he listened as she spoke. "This is my younger sister, Kaede. We are priestesses to this village, and its healers." He blinked, but his face remained in a perpetual frown. It had always been so; he'd had nothing to smile about for a very long time.

"Where did you find me?"

The woman looked up as he seemed to shrink into himself, as if he was afraid of them. She thought that to be amusing. If anything, they were more afraid of him. His fluffy white ears and long, sharp claws were only two of the signs that he possessed the blood of a demon in his veins. His white hair was the most obvious, and a pair of long fangs completed the mix. He was anything short of hideous-looking, though.

Kikyou, the woman, glanced covertly at him whenever she could. He was handsome, alright. Handsome enough to make her entertain thoughts of giving up her life-long profession as priestess and beg him to go away with her. She blinked, and banished her impure thoughts. Her job was to protect the Sacred Jewel; until it no longer existed or was destroyed, her destiny was clear.

"Under the Goshimboku."

Inuyasha flicked open one of his closed eyes and asked belligerently, "What the hell is that?"

Kikyou kept her eyes on her task as she replied, "The Sacred Tree, better known as the God Tree, near the shrine."

He couldn't remember having seen any shrines around here, but then again, he'd only been here... he didn't even know. Not long anyway.

"Oh. Why didn't you leave me there?"

Kikyou looked him in the eye this time, but he couldn't maintain her gaze, and quickly looked away. "Because you were suffering. It is not in a priestess's nature to overlook suffering, even if you are part demon." They both knew that in this day and age, demons and humans did not get along. Humans were often fodder for demons, and humans feared them greatly. Only very rarely could either species overcome their prejudices and work together.

He said nothing in response. She was crazy if she thought she was getting a thank-you for this. He could take care of himself, had been almost his whole life. It burned his pride that this human woman thought he was weak enough to need her help.

He stood up abruptly, and left the hut.

"Later."

Kikyou did not reply. Deep down she wished she'd never picked up the demon boy, for when he heard of the Jewel, she knew there'd be trouble.

Sure enough, Inuyasha hung around. He didn't know why, but the priestess's presence seemed to sooth him, and before long, he could not bear to be far away.

Kikyou knew when Inuyasha was near, and as time passed she grew used to his constant surveillance and even began to feel safe under it. He did seem to keep away other demons, and would often come to her aid when she needed help fighting any one of the numerous demons that came in search of the Jewel.

Eventually he began to speak to her, and be with her most of the time. He accompanied her to the village, and watched over her when she slept. He became her best friend.

One day, while sitting on a hillside overlooking the tiny village, Kikyou sighed to herself. Inuyasha had become close to her over the last months, closer than he'd ever been to anyone. He was still gruff, and trusted no one, but he would often look at her with a softness in his eyes that she found most appealing. Unfortunately, the Jewel stood in the way of their ever becoming closer.

Inuyasha watched her from a high tree, as he always did. Kikyou seemed to be especially sad today. He'd noticed that she spent most of her time this way, though he could never figure out what caused it. She had everything he didn't: a place to live, food to eat, and people who loved her. She had a place, and that was something he envied greatly of her.

Kikyou sensed his presence, and called, "Inuyasha! Come sit with me, won't you?"

Jumping down, he did as she asked, but with a proper distance separating them. He watched her carefully, his suspicions up. Until he knew what she wanted, he always maintained his reservations.

"Inuyasha, what am I to you?"

The question caught him off guard; he forgot to be wary. "What do you mean?"

She sighed again. "I am a woman, Inuyasha, but nobody thinks of me that way. I can't let my guard down, ever. Not while my destiny is to protect the Jewel."

He frowned. "What _is_ the Jewel, anyway? Why does it attract so much danger?"

She turned to look at him, her chin resting on her shoulder. Now was the moment of truth. She had never told him what the Sacred Jewel was capable of; his biggest complaint in life was that he wasn't strong enough, and that he had no place. He wanted to be one or the other, demon or human, and she knew that as soon as she answered him he would put two and two together and demand to know why she'd never told him. She was sure, though, that if she played her cards right, she could try convince him to make the right choice.

"The Jewel is very dangerous in its own sense, Inuyasha. It attracts danger because it enhances danger. Its purpose is to supply the holder of his fondest wish. Unfortunately, most people or demons who would possess it wish for evil things. In doing so, the Jewel becomes tainted, and people suffer. Its power is limitless. I protect it because in my possession it remains pure, and benign." She watched closely the emotions that crossed his face, and, sure enough, his anger was quickly apparent.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She could hear the hurt behind the anger, and her heart lurched. He didn't know it, but she had grown to love him in the time they'd spent together, and his accusation made her feel terrible.

"Because I wanted to protect you from yourself. You want to use it to become a demon, don't you?"

He could hear tears in her voice, and they spilled over as she finished, turning her face away from him so he wouldn't see them fall. She was right. He wanted to become a demon more than anything. He hated being weak and defenceless. He hated the taunts, and the feeling that he didn't belong to either society. He had thought of becoming human, but what was the point when becoming a demon was within his reach?

_She is the point_.

He looked at her, and the sound of her sobs, the scent of her tears, tore him apart. He'd become fond of her in the past months, too, fonder than he'd ever wanted to admit. Slowly, he reached out to her, and put his hand on her shoulder, gently pulling her toward him, and she let him, turning into his chest and letting him hold her.

Both felt as if they'd just come home. There, nestled in each other's warm embrace, both knew what it was to feel love for the first time.

"Kikyou, I..." Inuyasha was at a loss for words, and she brought her tear-streaked face up to look at him, her hand caressing his jaw tenderly.

"Inuyasha," she breathed, her heart blooming in the light of the look of love in his golden eyes, "Kiss me... please."

He leaned toward her, and the two shared their first kiss, their first declaration of love. He pulled her closer, and when the kiss was over, he kept his eyes closed, and tucked her head into his neck, resting his chin on her hair. Kikyou smiled, happier than she'd ever been.

Inuyasha knew that she was upset because she'd known what he would do when he discovered the Jewel's power, but his love for her overwhelmed his one true desire. He wanted to make her happy, and he knew just how to do it.

"Kikyou, I want to become human."

Her eyes flew open. This was what she had hoped for. She pulled away from him, and searched his eyes. "Are you sure?" They both knew that if he were to become human, and wish upon the Jewel, his pure wish would cause the Jewel to disappear, it's power used up.

He nodded his assent, and took her hands, kissing her knuckles and smiling. Then, he asked her the one question she thought she'd never hear.

"Kikyou, will you marry me?"

Her heart burst with love for him, and she leaped back at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and kissing his face profusely. "Yes, Inuyasha, yes, yes," she replied, and he kissed her back. Pulling him up and leading him by the hand, she led him to the Sacred Shrine, where the Sacred Jewel was housed.

Taking him inside, she lifted it off its stand and handed it to him, complete trust in her eyes.

Inuyasha took a deep breath, and thought of his future life as a human man. He would be weak, true, but he would have a place, and that meant more to him than anything.

He closed his eyes, and the Jewel glowed brightly, before Inuyasha's heartbeat got louder. Kikyou watched anxiously as the beats became loud enough for her to hear, and his hair began to rise on an invisible wind.

His ears went first. The shrunk and morphed into human ears at the sides of his head. His hair, bleeding to grey until it seeped into black, the strands growing slightly longer; his claws shortened into normal fingernails, and his fangs returned to normal human eye teeth. When the transformation was complete, he opened his eyes.

They were a deep violet.

He reached for her hand, and she realised that the Jewel was still in it, but it barely glowed. She took it, and her pure essence made it glow bright once more. She had been wrong. It hadn't disappeared.

He smiled at her, and suddenly she didn't care that it was still in need of her protection. Inuyasha was human, and they were going to be married. Her happiness despite the restitution of the Jewel was beautiful, and she put the Jewel around her neck, where it would be safe.

Inuyasha said, "So when should we marry?"

Kikyou grinned. "As soon as possible."

_**-SR-**_

Inuyasha was so nervous, his heart fluttered. He thought he might throw up.

He awaited Kikyou in the Shrine, where a travelling monk stood, ready to marry them. The whole village had turned out, and Inuyasha's acceptance as one of them had been immediate. They were more than happy to see the priestess of their village marry the handsome young man.

Kaede stood close to him, a small bouquet of flowers in her hand. She smiled despite the new eye-patch her sister had fashioned to protect her injured eye.

When Kikyou finally appeared, dressed in her wedding kimono, borrowed from one of the older women in the village, he knew right away that something was wrong.

Kikyou was beautiful. More beautiful than she'd ever been, in fact. He couldn't take his eyes off her, and yet he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something terribly wrong. The Jewel at her neck shimmered a terrible black.

A flutist from the village played a lovely solo as Kikyou made her way to him, and when she reached him and looked into his eyes, he knew immediately what was wrong.

_Sesshoumaru, you fucking bastard!_ He screamed in his head.

Kikyou's eyes were a fiery gold, and they undulated like flame as she stared at him, and he felt his limbs unable to move. The monk sensed the evil, too, and backed away, his staff jingling in the silence of the hushed crowd. He pointed the holy relic at her and yelled, "Evil, flee from this woman!"

The crowd panicked then, and began to run in all directions as several creatures came out of the shadows and began to devour them. Inuyasha, his anger breaking her spell, grabbed Kikyou by the throat and, staring into her eyes, was met with the harsh reflection of his brother, his laughter filling his ears in place of the screaming cries of the decimated villagers. Kikyou flashed a pair of wicked fangs at him, and before he could stop her, she bit his wrist, and he let her go.

"Kikyou, stop!" he yelled, but she was on him, her disease giving her strength that he'd once known himself. She pinned him down and ravaged his neck, letting the warmth of his blood trickle down her chin and smear all over the white wedding kimono.

When she'd had her fill, she released him, but he could not let her go. The others disappeared, their Master calling them back as soon as their presence was no longer relevant, his mission accomplished.

He latched on to her ankle, knowing that he had to do it. He could not let Kikyou, who abhorred suffering, to kill like this. He had to do the one thing he'd never thought he'd have to do to free the one woman he loved.

He had to kill her.

He rasped her name as she tried to pull out of his grip, and he saw the compassion return to her eyes now that her belly was full and she was able to think straight again.

She kneeled next to him, and caressed his face, murmuring, "Oh, Inuyasha... you tasted so wonderful... I'm so sorry, sweetheart..."

He looked for the love in her eyes that he so desperately wanted to see, but it was barely there; bloodlust that only one other monster could have put there shone in her eyes.

_I'm going to kill you for this, Sesshoumaru, if it's the last thing I ever do_.

She was leaning close, and he lifted a hand to touch her cheek. She widened her eyes, revelling in the sight of watching her first victim die, when she felt something sharp pierce her heart.

She screamed, and writhed as she fell on top of him. He held the hairpin he'd stabbed her with fast until she burst into flame.

Rolling over, weaker than he'd ever felt, he picked up a katana one of the villagers had dropped, and positioned it over his beloved fiancee's neck, and, shutting his eyes tightly against her pleading look that regenerated even as he waited, the love he'd searched for finally surfacing, his heart dying, he severed her head, and then buried her body where it lay, the ashes requiring only a small hole. The Jewel was gone; she had taken it with her in death.

He knelt at her grave and wept until he could weep no more. He picked himself up, and wandered away, his anger at his brother and his foul trick simmering on the back of his mind. First, he needed to mourn. Not only had the love of his life been taken away, but now he was diseased, too.

_**-SR-**_

Five hundred years later, Inuyasha was still chasing Sesshoumaru, and had almost caught him several times, but every time he slipped away.

He'd followed his vampire brother all over the world, from Japan to Spain to Africa, where people were numerous and help practically non-existent. There had even been a stint in England during the Renaissance, but even then Inuyasha had been unsuccessful.

He had killed millions of vampires in that time, and used all the conventional weapons against them: Holy water, crosses, stakes. The older the vampire, the quicker he regenerated, so severing the head was the only way to assure that death was permanent.

Inuyasha opened the door to his apartment in a low-rise on Yonge street, and threw his jacket on the small sofa, and, opening the fridge, took out a bottle of beer.

He watched the late night news, but nothing interesting was going on in the city, or in national news. He was a news freak; Sesshoumaru's discarded victims often wound up as front-page headliners.

His brother was a ruthless being, and even though he fed whenever he wished, he did not turn all his victims, only those he deemed worthy, and their headless bodies were often a sign he looked for when watching or reading the news. It was this trail of discarded bodies that kept him searching, hopefully one day leading directly to his murderer of a half-brother.

He fell asleep, his mouth open, and he dreamed that Sesshoumaru was just outside the window, taunting him, daring him to come after him, and when he jolted awake, he knew that it had all been real.

_**-SR-**_

Ohh, this is rare for me. Sesshy gets to play the villain this time. Oh, but how well he does it! Inu has always been a good guy to me, so no surprises there. Anywho, chapter one down, an unknown amount to go. Hope you're eager for more, my precious reviewers! I've got exercises to do tho, so smell y'all later dudes!


	3. Crabs Aren't Cool

Hey everybody! Sorry it took me so long to update, I just haven't felt much like writing lately, I'm kinda bummed, but shit needs to be done, so here I am. Extra long this time since I made ya's all wait so long. Sorry bout that.

Deds:

**Nimeway** - A reliable reviewer as usual! Shippou is so far not in this one, though everyone else makes brief to major appearances! Except Naraku, or any of his gang... not yet, anyway. Haven't finished this yet. I love how you want to comfort Inu. I'd not kick him outta bed for leaving crumbs either! F-ed things sure did happen though, and it ain't over yet!

**Amaya Mishugosha** - I'm delighted that you're impressed. God it's hard to keep the story straight with this one!

**Mystical Hanyou** - Ah, another buddy! No, it wasn't Naraku, and no, it wasn't Yura, just some random scag. Ususally you're in my head guessing what's gonna happen before I even write it, but whoa - you Spruce-Caboosed! Lol, that's okay though. I haven't worked on this for so long I forget what's happening, so I really feel retarded now.

**Sanguine Ronin**

_Chapter Two_

_**"So which was it, Crabs or the Clap??"**_

Kagome Higurashi sat back in her chair, and stared at her laptop, her eyes red and puffy. The last week had been nothing but work and sleepless nights filled with nightmares, and she felt so tired she wanted to die.

She had moved to Toronto just three weeks before. As a graduate student of journalism, her luck in being hired on to cover current news for the Daily Sun was a blessing.

She'd worked hard to get where she was. She had used the inheritance from her grandfather's death to relocate to Canada and rent out her luxurious apartment just around the corner, in a low-rise on Yonge. She had just finished settling herself in and if she were anyone else she would think the nightmares were a result of the stress of the move and her new job and her homesickness all rolled into one, but she knew better. She'd had them her whole life.

The girl in the next cubicle, Sango Yoshiro, leaned over the top of the make-shift wall that separated them and said, "You look rough, girl."

Sango was only one of the two friends she'd made since she started working there, and she smiled ruefully at Sango as she took a huge sip of cold coffee. "Thanks. I love compliments."

Sango laughed, and then disappeared, but reappeared a moment later in her chair, wheeling herself around the corner with her own coffee in her hand, until she was sitting in front of Kagome's small desk. "Working on anything interesting?"

Kagome shook her head, yawning. "Nah. Just another blood bank robbery. You'd think criminals would have bigger fish to fry, like money. I guess blood's worth a lot to someone out there. Go figure."

Sango laughed, but kept her real thoughts to herself. There were some things about this town that you just didn't share with newbies. "Maybe the mob's into pushing blood now," she joked, and Kagome raised a brow.

She shrugged. "You never know, it could happen."

"Humph." Kagome sensed there was something Sango wasn't telling her, but she was too tired to pry.

"You still coming out to the bars tonight? Ayame will be really mad if you back out again."

Kagome groaned. She was so tired, and a night on the town was the last thing she needed. "I don't know..."

"Come on! You chickened out last time, you owe us!"

Kagome had refused the first time Sango had invited her out because she hadn't known her well at all, but now that they'd had some time to get to know each other and become chummy, she felt obligated to placate her friend. "Fine."

"Awesome! Ayame will be so happy."

Ayame Wang worked in a morgue in the crime lab at the local police station. She dissected bodies for a living, eight hours a day, five days a week, and was very possessive of her time off, and liked to spend as much of it having fun as possible. Talking to cadavers all day was pretty boring work, apparently.

Kagome smiled, but it was forced. "Look, I really have to finish this article, so..."

Sango stuck out her tongue and replied, "Fine, I can take a hint. See you after work."

Kagome laughed at her pouty face. "Short trip."

Sango flipped her off playfully. "Lucky for you."

Shaking her head, Kagome got back to work. Her deadline was in two hours, and she was only half-done. She tried hard not to fall asleep as her fingers pounded the keys on her laptop.

**_-SR-_**

Two hours later, she and Sango met in the elevator that would take them to the underground parking lot of the Daily Sun's sixteen-story office building.

"Evening, you slut," Kagome laughed, feeling a little better now that the day was over, and the fun about to begin.

"Evening, _ho_," Sango returned deftly, and both women giggled. "So, where should we go tonight?"

Kagome thought about it as the elevator stopped on the next floor to pick up more passengers. "I dunno. Maybe Ayame will have a destination in mind."

Sango chuckled. "As always. That girl never fails to have a funky new place for us to check out."

Kagome sighed happily, the thought of the night ahead making her forget her fatigue. "Maybe one of her cadavers suggested some place new."

Sango put her hand over her mouth as the two older men in front of them turned to look at them, their faces stern.

Kagome suppressed a major urge to pee as the elevator stopped three more times until it finally reached the parking lot, where everyone who'd boarded got off.

"Should have taken the stairs," Sango complained as they walked to Kagome's car, a white Mustang. Sango climbed into the passenger seat and ran her hand along the leather seats. "Man, I wish my dead grandpa had left me a fortune. I can't get over this car! I feel like a goddess just _sitting_ in it!"

Kagome laughed, and threw her high-heels into the backseat as she climbed into the driver's seat. "You should invest in one," she suggested, winking, "they're terrible on gas."

Sango snorted. "What do you care? You're loaded!"

Kagome didn't argue, but couldn't help the memories of her grandpa that surfaced whenever someone brought up her inheritance. Grandpa Higurashi had left her and her brother and mother five hundred thousand each upon the reading of his will, three months following his death in a car accident. On top of his life insurance, which was sixty thousand, with careful investing, the family would never have to worry about money again, but not one of them would have hesitated to give it all back in exchange for their grandfather's life.

Grandpa Higurashi had been sent to the store that day last August for a bag of milk. On his way back, as he was crossing the street, a transport truck had hit and killed him instantly. The whole neighbourhood had been devastated along with Kagome's family, and Kagome had wondered why it had to be her sweet grandfather who'd gotten hit and not someone else, or better yet, no one at all. The driver had been stone drunk, and had driven ten blocks in that state before killing the old man. But what Kagome regretted most was the last thing she'd said to her grandpa.

They had argued over who would get the milk. He told her she was younger, and she had told him she was busy and that he was just being lazy. He had frowned at her in that way that made her feel like a child, but she had been adamant: her studies were more important. So, he had gone, and she had never apologised for being a brat.

There wasn't a day that didn't pass that she didn't think that it should have been her.

Sango broke into her thoughts when she touched her shoulder. "You missed the turn."

Kagome glanced over her shoulder as the underground lot in her building slipped past, and she swore.

"Calm down," Sango counselled, "just go around the block. Easiest thing in the world." Sango's favourite phrase in the world was "Easiest thing in the world." She said it about any problem she faced, or just to generally annoy, which it did.

Kagome went around the block and remembered to turn this time. She pulled in next to a black Corvette and both girls got out. Living in the same building was a lucky break for the three girls, though none of them lived on the same floor.

Sango lived on the third floor, and she took the stairs as Kagome pushed the button for the elevator. "Meet me here in twenty."

Kagome nodded, and just as Sango disappeared, Ayame walked into the lobby.

"Hey, Kagome! You ready to party your _ass_ off?"

Kagome smiled, and replied, "As ready as I'll ever be."

Ayame grinned and leaned against the vacant reception desk as she sifted through her purse for her phone. "I just heard about this new place, we gotta check it out." Kagome rolled her eyes, and thought, _Sango's got your mind pegged, my friend of dead people_.

Pulling out the phone, Ayame flipped it open and dialled Sango's number, and just as the elevator opened, Sango answered after two rings.

"Hey, bitch!" Ayame greeted their friend as they boarded. Kagome shifted her purse from one shoulder to the other as Ayame chatted to Sango. Maybe tonight _was_ a good idea. If she was _really_ tired, maybe she wouldn't dream.

Her dreams weren't exactly scary in the conventional sense. If someone asked her to describe a nightmare, her first thought would be _Leatherface_, _Freddy Kruger_, and _Predator_. Now those things were scary enough to have nightmares about, but her dreams were markedly different, in the fact that as emotionally taxing as they were, they were carnally erotic in a way that no nightmare had ever been for her. She dreamed that a malignant, gorgeous man would call to her, find her, and make love to her. He would worship her, and she would enjoy it, but in the back of her mind she knew what he was doing to her was somehow wrong, and that was what made her afraid of him.

His appearance was something else entirely. His hair, which was long and black, framed a face that was Patrician in its shape. His eyes burned her very soul with their fire, and they undulated like the very element they resembled. He could hold her immobile with them, and in a weird, otherworldly kind of way, they were beautiful.

His brows were thin and perfectly groomed, and his lips, despite their thinness, were sensual in a way that rendered her powerless with their touch. His hands were soft and the fingers long, talented beyond compare, and his body was like that of a God, perfect in every way.  
She had never told either of her friends about her strange dreams. They would only laugh at her or beg to hear more, which was too embarrassing to even contemplate. She thought about her dreams though, all the time, and wondered who the man was, for she'd only ever seen him in her subconscious mind.

Ayame flipped her phone shut and Kagome realised that she'd missed the entire conversation. Feeling a little foolish, she flinched when the elevator pinged and stopped at the fourth floor to let Ayame out.

"See you in a minute," she said, waving, and Kagome smiled, the doors closing, leaving her completely alone with her thoughts. With effort, she turned them to what she planned to wear.

At the seventh floor, the elevator opened and a man stood there, obviously waiting for it. Kagome's first impulse was to smile at him, and she said, "Hi," as she stepped out.

Inuyasha thought he was dreaming when the elevator opened to reveal Kikyou standing before him. His heart had ceased to beat for a moment, and when it finally whammed into rhythm again, he blinked, and realised that this woman could not be Kikyou, because she was dead.

"Hey," he replied belatedly, his destination forgotten as he stared at her.

Kagome began to feel nervous. _Why was he staring at her like that?_ He was good-looking, there was no doubt about that. His black hair was long, and loose, a style very few men aside from a younger Fabio could get away with. His eyes were an interesting shade of gold, and his outfit looked killer on him. She suddenly found that she liked him staring.

"I'm Kagome," she introduced herself, "I live in Seven D."

He was lost in her soft brown eyes when he snapped back to the present and realised that she'd spoken. "Inuyasha," he said, holding out his hand. He didn't offer a last name, but then again, neither had she. "I'm Seven C."

She grinned. "Right next door. My friends never told me such a handsome man lived in this building."

_She's amazing_, he thought, taking in every detail of her face. The eyes and hair length were different, and this woman wasn't as pale, but she and Kikyou were essentially the same woman, or at least it looked that way. Kagome's attitude, too, was totally different. He smiled, and Kagome felt her pulse speed up. He did, too.

"You must be the new girl. Old Mrs. Robinson was a nice-looking woman in her day, but you put her to shame."

She blushed, but didn't withdraw her hand. His thumb stroked her knuckles in a most pleasing manner.

"Going out tonight?"

She didn't know what made her trust him, but there was something in his initial reaction to her that made her feel he was a good man, and not some crazy stalker to be avoided at all costs. When he saw her it was as if he'd seen a ghost, and she thought that she must resemble someone he knew.

"Yeah, but I don't know where yet."

He grinned, and replied, "Maybe I'll see you around?"

She returned his grin, and said, "Maybe. It was nice to meet you, Inuyasha."

He released her hand and pushed the elevator button, and it opened immediately. "Nice meeting you, Kagome. Have a good night."

She waved to him as the doors shut. "You too." Turning around, she realised that she was sweating. Her legs felt all quivery and her mouth was dry. She could admit that she was attracted to him, and this reaction to him was ridiculous, but she didn't let herself feel embarrassed over it. By the look on his face, he was feeling the same way.

Opening her apartment door, she chained it behind her and flopped onto her double bed with a sigh. Forcibly forgetting about Inuyasha, she dug through her clothes and came up with a pair of light-wash jeans with an embroidered peacock on the left thigh and a black, off-the-shoulder t-shirt with a pink _K _on the right shoulder. A pink leather belt with a Playboy buckle and a pair of white pumps completed the ensemble.

Popping into the bathroom, she decided that there was no time to fix her messy hair, but applied a quick smattering of pink eye shadow and a layer of fresh mascara.

She grabbed her keys, a wad of cash, her phone, and her ID on her way out, and shoved it all in her back pocket after she'd re-locked her door. Looking at her watch, she jumped. She was five minutes late.

Taking the stairs, unsuccessfully trying to apply lip gloss as she jounced, she met her friends at the bottom and Ayame cried, "_Finally_! What took you so long? Get stuck on the toilet again??"

It had been a running joke since the day Kagome had moved in and fallen on her toilet and gotten stuck between the bowl and the wall while moving a giant wicker cabinet into her new bathroom that neither girl had let her live down.

"Ha ha, not funny. Actually, I met someone."

Sango guffawed. "You _met_ someone? We haven't even gone out barhopping yet and you've already _met _someone?" Sango was a tad on the plump side, but her bright eyes and fondness for anything sports endeared her to men young and old. She fielded her share of passes, but was forever envious of her skinnier friends who seemed to have no trouble at all attracting good-looking men their own age with very little effort on their part.

Ayame was known for picking up guys and being the inventor (or, as her friends dubbed her, the "Enforcer") of the One-Night-Stand. Her men usually took off the morning after when she told them what she did for a living.

Kagome was outgoing, but she tended to shy away from men. She had plenty of male friends at home, but here, in Canada, men were way more outgoing and forthright than the boys in Japan had been. She was slowly getting used to being hit on while she danced on the dance floor, and the wandering hands that seemed to be the trademark of the young men of Toronto.

"Yeah. He was a real looker, too. Lives right next door to me. I can't believe I haven't met him before now."

Ayame frowned. "He held you up and made your friends wait and didn't even ask you out? How rude!"

Kagome laughed, and replied, "Well, I didn't exactly ask him to join us, either."

Sango crossed her arms than and said, "_Now _who's rude?" All three laughed and headed out the door to the parking lot, and Ayame asked, "Who's the DD?"

"I'll do it," Kagome volunteered, and Ayame smiled.

"Here we go, girls, on a grand adventure! Wish me luck, I'm looking for _Mr. Right_ tonight!" Sango declared.

Kagome shot back, "Don't you mean _Mr. Right Now_?"

Ayame burst out laughing and Sango punched her, hissing, "Shut up! Don't hate me 'cause you ain't me!"

Ayame shook her head and responded in a surly voice, "Believe me, that's _not _why I hate you!" and rubbed the sore spot on her arm.

Kagome smiled and looked up at the night sky, dappled with stars, and the full moon overhead. But, as she watched, the moon seemed to turn red, and suddenly clouds filled the sky. A shiver went down her spine, but she ignored it. Her friends wanted to have a good time tonight, and she wasn't going to ruin that by acting afraid.

She got into the driver's seat of her Mustang and pulled into traffic, her friends' chatter comforting in the background. She would not let her dreams control her. She would have fun tonight, if it was the last thing she did.

_**-SR-**_

Inuyasha let out his breath as the elevator took him down to the main floor of the building. _So that was why his brother's trail ended here!_ He was after her again.

_Kikyou_, he thought, his heart clenching in bittersweet memory. He had to warn her, Kagome, before Sesshoumaru could find her.

He didn't readily believe in reincarnation, but his eyes hadn't lied. That woman had been the spitting image of his long-dead fiancee.

He climbed into his car but he didn't go anywhere. He waited, and before long, she and two women came out, hopped into the white Mustang next to him, and took off. After a brief interval, he followed. He would have to keep a close eye on her. If he had seen her it was almost a certainty that Sesshoumaru had, too, and there was nothing that his half-brother liked more then to rip out his heart.

He followed the Mustang down Yonge street to a bar called _The Funky Monkey_. It was a new dance club that served drinks all night.

He parked around the corner and waited until the bouncers had admitted the girls before he got in line himself. He had no doubt that he would get in; his connections were everywhere, though most people didn't even know about it while it masqueraded right under their noses.

He could smell him; Sesshoumaru had been here, but not recently. Several others had come and gone, but they were irrelevant.

He opened his wallet and sifted through various ID's. He had well over a hundred of them, for any number of countries and time periods. The older ones were birth certificates, and he even retained his original record of birth from 1363. It was almost black with age and grime and falling apart, but the parchment it was written on was hardy. One could still read it if they looked closely enough. He pulled out his most recent driver's licence and continued to wait.

He often wondered what had happened to him after Kikyou had bitten him all those centuries ago. He was what others of the breed called a _Daywalker_, one who could survive without blood. His eyes were not human, true, but just about everything else was, excepting his demonic strength and heightened senses. It was almost like being a half-demon again, only his looks didn't change back.

He learned from a fellow who hunted vampires in the Renaissance that not all people who are bitten by a vampire turn. Some, like him, instead of going through the complete transformation, only experienced a percentage of the changes. They could hear, see, smell and taste things more intensely than they normally would, but they could not shape shift, nor did they need to drink blood constantly to sustain themselves. They were immune to all the conventional weapons against vampires, and they could walk in broad daylight without fear. They had very limited hypnotic abilities, and, the man had told him, every anomaly like Inuyasha he'd ever discovered had formerly been in a human of innate love and loyalty, people whose morals were their creed, and who believed in chivalry, honour, and the emotion of true love. They would never kill a human for sustenance, even if they'd had to, and were repulsed by the very act.

Inuyasha had wondered why his Kikyou had not been affected as he had, but he never did really know until later in life. He could only assume then that his brother's bite was of the most malignant kind and that he had completely severed her pure soul from her immortal body.

He'd also heard that the disease disappeared when one's Master, the vampire that had bitten them, was killed, but he'd never seen proof. He assumed he remained as he was because his brother still lived, because indirectly, Sesshoumaru was Inuyasha's Master, but he wanted more than anything to rid himself of this loathsome disease, even if it meant sacrificing his own life to accomplish it. He had hopes that it could be done.

Sesshoumaru had been an absent sibling in Inuyasha's childhood. He had known of his brother, but no one had told him what he was. He had assumed that he was a dog demon, as their father had been, but what he didn't know until many years later was that his original assumption was very much correct.

Sesshoumaru had not been born a vampire. He had been turned, just like all his victims since, but no one knew just how he came to carry his blood-thirsty disease. It had taken over his body and amplified his demonic capabilities ten-fold. The only change had been his hair colour and his outlook on life. His heart ceased to beat, but his skin was as warm as it should have been. He went from a hard-nosed, arrogant demon with nothing to do but patrol his father's lands to a blood-sucking monster, intent on feeding on as many as he could.

When he was finally tired of killing his victims, he began to turn them. And, with this tool of mass contamination, he had created about him a loyal following of vampires whom he'd infected, and at one time there were many. Inuyasha had never been able to get an accurate count, but he thought there had to have been at least a few hundred thousand, but probably there whad been more. His brother wasn't exactly renowned for his restraint, but would not turn just anybody. By now, though, their ranks had thinned and they were a breed in danger of extinction.

He had often wondered what it was about him that Sesshoumaru loathed so much; in the days following his tragically ruined wedding, he searched for answers to all his questions, and an old demon named Totosai had told him what he'd needed to know.

Sesshoumaru, he'd said, had been in love with Kikyou at one time, and had come to her looking for a cure to his ailment, a sham to get closer to her; she had thought he was after the Jewel, and she had promptly dissuaded him from trying to take it. She had been able to resist his hypnotic power with her holy ability, and he had given up the chase, but he had never given up her heart, or the desire to bend her to his will. She had been unable to help him, and only his love for her had made him even considering asking for a cure. She had rejected him, repulsed by his affliction, and from then on he had embraced his disease with a new-found vehemence, determined to make her pay for her rejection. He had backed out of her life, to think of a plan to make her accept him for what he was. If he could not have her, no one would. No woman rejected him. Not he, who could call a woman to him without even saying a word, his eyes mesmerising her to do his bidding. _Never_.

By the time Inuyasha had come into the picture, he had disappeared, but Kikyou had never told Inuyasha about him, because she wanted nothing more than to forget. But the day of their wedding, when the Jewel was primed and ready for another wish to be asked of it, he had come to her again, and she had been unable to resist him. He had taken it from her, and in his malignant power, the Jewel was tainted. He was powerful enough that he had no need of the petty bauble. No longer able to purify it, Kikyou panicked, and he hypnotised her. She had been unable to defend herself when he had bitten her, feeding but not finishing her life's blood, effectively turning her into what he'd always wanted her to be: just like him. It was his last-ditch effort to get her to love him.

And it had worked.

His demonic power was only a boost for his vampiric disease. Sesshoumaru was near invincible, his strength unbeatable, and his sexual prowess undeniable. He could mesmerise almost anyone with almost no effort at all, and only if you were prepared could you even begin to fend his attentions off. He had been angry when she had failed to kill Inuyasha, and enraged that _he_ had killed _her_. And it was only after speaking with Totosai that he learned the second reason why his brother was so anxious to do away with him.

Their father had left behind two swords as inheritance for his sons: the life-saving Tensaiga, in Sesshoumaru's possession but of little use. He used it only to kill his minions when he severed their heads for refusing to comply to him. It was a guarantee that the undead could be killed.

Another sword, however, the Tetsusaiga, was capable of mass destruction and was made to protect. Sesshoumaru, of course, cared not for the latter ability of the weapon, and not much more for the former, either. It was a vendetta against their father for leaving him the dunce sword that burned Sesshoumaru, and in his anger, he took his frustration out on his little brother in an attempt to find out where the Tetsusaiga was located. When things hadn't gone as he'd planned, and Kikyou had failed to overpower his brother, he decided that it didn't matter; as long as Inuyasha didn't know where it was, he was in no danger of retribution, for he knew Inuyasha was unable to kill him.

No one knew how Sesshoumaru had come to be a vampire dog demon, but what they did know was that he was the highest-ranked member of a society of followers that ruled the underground; he was like a king in his own right, with an endless amount of devoted subjects at his disposal. It was the secret of his infection that would be his downfall; he guarded it with his life.

It was Kikyou's easy acceptance of Inuyasha's half-breed love and blood, and their father's choice in leaving him the better sword that spawned Sesshoumaru's hatred for Inuyasha, and each vowed to one day finish the other. Their ancient family feud over the love of one woman and two heirlooms had spanned centuries, but now that Kikyou's reincarnation had appeared, time was running out. He had to protect her with his life, for he refused to let her die that terrible death again. He flashed his ID at the bouncer, and was immediately allowed access. Others who had been denied protested loudly at his entrance.

Inside, the place was dark, but lit with black lights that made anyone wearing white stand out like a bright purple signpost.

He looked around, and finally spotted the three women at a high table, chatting and waiting for their drinks to come.

He smelled several vampires, but none appeared to be interested in the three. Regardless, he found himself a table in the darker corner of the room and ordered a beer, and sat back to watch.

_**-SR-**_

Ayame climbed up into the barstool-fashioned chair and bounced in the seat, excited. "Isn't this place awesome? And look, no shortage of hot hunks to choose from, either!"

Sango laughed, and Kagome smiled slyly as she remarked, "Well, just don't catch the Clap this time, okay?"

Ayame made a mock-angry face and retorted, "That was _not_ the Clap! It was Crabs! And I didn't even have them for a whole day, okay?"

Kagome burst out laughing. Somehow that _wasn't_ hard to believe.

"_What_!? You had _crabs_? That's _sick_!"

Ayame was laughing now, too. "I didn't know he had them!! Until I got itchy, anyway."

Sango was looking over their heads, the crabs remark already forgotten, and whispered, "Heads up. Possible _Mr. Right Now_ at three o'clock." They all looked clandestinely at Sango's choice, and agreed: he was hot.

He approached their table and it was obvious right away that his interest lay with Ayame. "You ladies having a good time tonight?"

Sango saw how his eyes kept wandering back to her morbidly-employed friend and commented a bit stiffly, "We'll let you know."

Kagome elbowed her, and the curled lip turned into a charming smile. Ayame said, "You here with someone, cutesome?" He laughed, and said no. Grinning, she offered him her hand. "I'd love to dance with you." He laughed again, and took her proffered hand, and led her out onto the floor, leaving his beer on their table.

Sango fumed. "I hate this. Why does every guy look at _her_? _I'm _the one they've got something in common with! She's just got a lot of miles on her, that's all she's got."

Kagome smiled and thanked the waitress as she brought them their drinks. Sango sipped her Electric Popsicle moodily, and Kagome nursed her Pornstar until Ayame came back, hand-in-hand with the guy, whom she introduced as Ryan.

Kagome shook his hand as did Sango, but she was still sore over his immediate affection for Ayame. Ayame took a big swig of her Long Island Iced Tea, and dragged Ryan back out onto the floor, where they danced energetically to Rihanna's _Breaking Dishes_.

Kagome put her hand on Sango's arm. "Don't feel bad, Sango. No one's paying any attention to me, either."

Sango snorted. "They will. Just you wait."

A few minutes later, a sophisticated young man asked Kagome for a dance, but she politely refused, in an effort to get him to notice Sango, but he didn't take the bait and walked away.

"Well, you get points for trying," Sango said, depressed. Kagome sighed, then scanned the room. She'd get Sango a date if it killed her.

There, across the floor, at the bar on the other side of the room, a man stood, watching them openly and occasionally sipping a beer. He was good-looking in a rugged, outdoorsy kind of way, with a cowboy hat perched at a lazy angle. He was perfect for Sango. But it was the man in the long black coat sitting next to him that made her hesitate.

He smiled seductively at her, barely a lift if his lips, and she experienced a flashback to her dream, only the black hair was white for some reason, and she gasped aloud, softly. Then, someone walked in front of her, and the young man in the cowboy hat was alone. She blinked, the sensation of the black-haired man's sinister presence gone.

Shaking her head, she hopped off her chair and said, "I'll be back," and Sango called, "Where are you going?" but Kagome ignored her.

Her drink in hand, trying to forget what she thought she'd just seen, she sidled up to the man and pushed her empty glass across the counter behind him.

"What'll you have?" The bartender asked.

"Pornstar, please." She glanced at the man, and smiled; he smiled back. The bartender handed her the drink and she turned to face the man. There was no sign of the black-haired man.

"Hi. I'm Kagome."

The man nodded, acknowledging her. "Nice to meet you. I"m Miroku."

Kagome smiled and shook his hand. "I saw you watching us, Miroku. Me and my friend, Sango. You interested in her? Because she'd _love_ to dance with you."

Miroku lifted the left half of his mouth in a grin and looked to where Kagome pointed. Sango turned beet red when she realised what Kagome was doing and hid her face. Miroku chuckled. "Sure. I'll dance."

"Great!" Kagome dragged him to their table and said, "Sango, honey, this nice man is Miroku. Would you like to dance with him?"

Sango took one look at Miroku and thanked God Kagome had good taste in men. Ayame's left something to be desired, indefinitely, which was why she _never_ allowed her to choose her dates. "I'd like that."

Kagome watched with pride as Miroku led Sango out to the floor, and the two chatted amiably as they danced to _Lips of an Angel_. She kept to herself, like her recurring dreams, what she was certain she'd seen tonight.

Finishing her second drink, she remembered that she'd forgotten to pee when she was at home, and suddenly had to go so bad a fire hose would have strained to contain the pressure she was feeling.

She got up to go to the bathroom, more than one pair of eyes following her.

_**-SR-**_

The line for the bathroom was ridiculous. There were six men and eight women waiting in line, and more than a few were tapping their feet or bouncing a knee trying to stifle the urge.

Deciding that her bladder wouldn't wait, Kagome went further down the hall and around a corner, where, sure enough, there was a door. Practically running, she opened the door, and then slipped out, propping it open with one of her shoes. Yanking down her jeans, she squatted next to a garbage can for privacy and let nature take its course.

When she was finished she took her shoe and slipped it back on, the door slamming shut behind her. She walked back down the hall, and one of the women in line asked, "Is there another bathroom back there?"

Kagome smiled and replied, "In a manner of speaking."

The woman picked up her purse from the floor and declared, "I'm _there_!" The other people who didn't have to go as bad laughed as the woman hustled away, her ample behind jiggling comically as she hurried.

Inuyasha breathed easier when Kagome came back unharmed. He had been prepared to give her one more minute before he went in search of her, and as he watched her sit down again, he felt a terrible pang of remorse. _He had killed her, he had been the one to save her mortal soul... _

Getting up, he abandoned his beer and crossed the room with a confidence that he didn't feel.

Touching her shoulder, she turned around and smiled when she recognised him. "Hi!"

"Hello again," he greeted her, and then shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Reaching back to scratch his neck, he asked, "Would you like to dance with a lonely guy?"

She grinned, and blushed becomingly. They had that affect on each other that people who fall in love at first sight experienced: rise in temperature, increase in heart rate, sweatiness, breathlessness, carnal tightness of the lower belly.

"Only if you don't mind dancing with a lonely girl."

"It'll be my pleasure," he assured her, and without hesitation she gave him her hand and followed him onto the floor.

They slow-danced to _Casey's Song_ by City In Colour, but neither tried to speak while they moved slowly to the song. She rested her head over his heart and he perched his chin on the top of her head, and a memory of doing the exact same thing with someone else plagued his mind, but he pushed it away. She was not Kikyou, as she had been. She just looked like her, but Sesshoumaru wouldn't care. He would come after her anyway, and he had to protect her with his life.

But unless she was in danger he wouldn't tell her just what he was all about.

Kagome rested her arms around his neck, and it felt like she belonged in his arms. The longer he held her, the more certain she was that she never wanted him to let her go. Maybe she would invite him to stay with her tonight... but she decided to wait. She didn't want to scare him off by coming on too strong, and so soon. She'd just met him, for Christ's sake!

But when he held her like this it felt like they'd known each other forever, and in a way, they had. Kagome's soul was older than she knew, and it remembered Inuyasha's arms like it had only been yesterday that she'd last been in them.

His heartbeat thudded soothingly under her ear, and she let her eyes close, and she dozed, amazingly, on her feet, while they danced. And she didn't dream.

When the song ended, he pulled away from her, and she opened her eyes. Her body felt chilly and devoid where he was no longer touching it, and she almost reached out to pull him back, but just twitched her fingers instead.

"It's getting late," he murmured, and she nodded. "I think I'm gonna go home."

They went back to her table where Sango and Miroku were deep in conversation with one another, and a smell hit Inuyasha's nose, and he knew that he had just approached another daywalker like himself. Miroku was a vampire, his scent clearly gave him away.

Miroku nodded pleasantly to him, but was quickly drawn back into conversation with Sango, who appeared to be interested in the cowboy.

He wondered if she knew about vampires, but he sensed that Miroku was good; day walkers always were. He didn't trust the man, but he didn't _distrust _him, either. He knew Sango would be safe with him. He sniffed deeper, and then he was suddenly unsure if the young man was indeed a vampire. The scent seemed to be fading.

Kagome said, "Sango, I'm gonna go home. I'm really tired. Here's ten bucks, it should cover my drinks."

Sango replied, "You're not walking home alone, are you?" Her face was worried.

Kagome shook her head, and yawned. "No. Inuyasha, would you walk me? I was supposed to be the DD, but I fell down on the job. I'll have to come back for my car tomorrow."

He nodded, distracted from the stench of vampire. "Sure. I'll drive you home in my Corvette. I only had half a beer."

Sango smiled. "Okay, have a good night, Kagome. Ayame and I will catch a cab."

"Okay, see you on Monday."

"See you."

"Tell Ayame to watch out for crabs."

Sango snickered but waved Kagome away, and she and Inuyasha left. He balled his hands in his pockets to keep them from roaming all over her. _It had been so long... would her soul remember him?_ He opened the black car and helped Kagome in. She checked her face in the mirror as he went around to get in his side, and in a minute they were back out on Yonge street, headed for home.

The ride up in the elevator was tense; the sexual tension between them was palpable. They both rushed off when it finally opened on their floor.

"Well, goodnight, I guess," he said, unlocking his door. She opened her own and said wistfully, "Yes... goodnight." Kagome closed the door behind her, and leaned against it, willing her frantic heart to slow down. Her attraction for him was getting out of control, and she'd only known him for a few hours. _This is ridiculous_, she thought as she peeled off her sweaty clothes. _What you need is a cold shower and a good night's sleep_.

But the thought of sleep made her even wearier. The few minutes of rest she'd gotten in Inuyasha's arms was the only rest she'd be likely to get, at least until she got rid of this stupid dream. Maybe she should go see a shrink, or a psych, or whatever kind of doctor dealt with dreams. This was getting to be a real problem.

Inuyasha threw his jacket on the floor and went to his bedroom, and flopped onto his bed, an eighteenth-century wrought-iron Victorian. He had almost been unable to control himself, and now he could relax and ignore the tent-pole pitched in his pants. He rolled off and went to the easel by the window where he was in the process of painting another portrait of her, just as he remembered her, in her red and white priestess's kimono. There were several others scattered around the room, but none of them were on display. They never left this room, and no one was invited in to see them.

Gently, he set aside the unfinished painting and pulled out a blank canvas, and, mixing up some fresh paint, went to work.

He worked feverishly, until the early hours of the morning, and by the time he finished, the sun was coming over the tops of the skyscrapers that blocked the majority of his view of lake Ontario.

He fell back onto the bed to eye his work critically, and was satisfied. He closed his eyes, and let sleep overcome his exhausted body.

He'd completely forgotten about the smell in the bar that was bugging him earlier.

_**-SR-**_

EWWWWWWWWWWW, crabs! Gross. Ayame really should get to know people before she bangs them, eh? What a slut. Anyway, sorry again for the late update, please don't kill me. Cuz then I'll never update. I'll be dead. Get it??


	4. He's Weird, But He's Cute

Well, here's chapter three. Still only two reviewers (that is so sad) because as of right now this story is finished. I would hate to be discouraged from writing anything more from lack of feedback. Is my writing so terrible?!?

Deds:

**Nimeway** - It would appear you are a member of a very small fanclub, my friend, and I could not thank you more for it. If it weren't for you, I'd give up right now. I'd love to help Inu with that, too, but, alas, my imagination is just that - my imagination.

**Mystical Hanyou** - His hair is... black! But when the end comes along, you'll remember why you were confused! Thank you, too, for be a loyal fan, I get all depressed remembering how many fans _Inu:G'ed_ generated, but, sigh. I guess this one was just not meant to be popular, which makes me glad its finally done, with posting the only thing left to do. Boo-urns, suddenly everyone hates me!!

_**Sanguine Ronin**_

_Chapter Three_

_**"Getting to know you..."**_

On Saturday morning, Kagome stared at the ceiling, watching the sun make shadowed patterns out of the blinds as they stretched above her. She'd spent the entire night like that, her eyes wide open. She was so tired now that she was over-tired, and felt wired, but not yet ready to move. A least her body was rested, even if her mind was not.

Twenty minutes passed and she hauled herself up, putting coffee on to boil and turning on the TV.

The news was on. The report was about a gruesome murder in the East End of Toronto, along with several other murder reports. It seemed that on any given day more people perished in this city than anywhere else, she thought.

One of the murders was a decapitation, and another ritualistic. There were two rapes, and one drive-by that she paid attention to. Finally, sick of the bad news, she turned the TV off and went into the bathroom to do her hair. She put on the radio and listened to hard rock until she was presentable.

Putting on a pair of dark jeans, a black sweater that covered her down to her butt and plunged low in the front, a white tee underneath, a pair of sunglasses and some green high-tops, she was ready to face the world, but realised that she had nowhere to go. She didn't need food, and everything else was stocked up. So she decided to see if Inuyasha wanted to hang out. Maybe he had a good videogame or something.

Locking her door, she walked the four feet to his and knocked.

At first, he didn't answer right away. Frowning a little, she knocked again, harder this time.

He opened it, after making sure it wasn't anyone suspicious, and greeted her with, "Morning, stranger." He looked more terrible than she felt.

"Morning. You busy today?"

Her request was music to his tired ears. He smiled, and propped his elbow on the doorframe. "Are you asking me out?"

She couldn't help but stare at his smooth chest above his unbuttoned jeans as he opened the door a little further, and she felt her temples pound with the heat he was kindling in her. "Maybe. I have nothing to do today and wondered if maybe you weren't doing anything, either."

_I know what I'd **like** to be doing_, he thought before he cut that train of thought off. She was still innocent of the pleasure he was capable of inflicting. He wanted her to ask him to take her, and he would wait until she wanted it before he did.

He scratched his cheek in mock thought, leaving streaks of red on his face. She giggled. "You've uh, got something on your face."

He looked at his fingertips, and remembered that he'd forgotten to wash the oily paint off his hands last night. Now he'd have to do his laundry. _Damn_.

"So I do. Listen, I have some laundry to do, but other than that I'm free, if you want to come along."

She smiled, happily, and bounced up and down on her tip-toes a few times. "It's a date."

He grinned, and opened his door, inviting her in. "Sorry about the mess," he said as she shut the door behind her. He disappeared into his room and she said, "Don't worry about it. My apartment's the exact same way." It wasn't, but he didn't have know that.

She looked around his living room and kitchen while he changed and gathered up his laundry. The walls, which were supposed to be a boring beige-white, were a deep orange. His carpet, where she could see it through piles of magazines and newspapers, was long and shaggy and white, or had been originally. His place looked like he'd lived here for a long time.

In the corner, an original Japanese wall scroll hung from a peg, out of the sun. It looked to be from the Feudal Era, and was probably worth a fortune. A shiny broadsword hung on pegs above it, a blood-red stone winking brightly from its setting in the steel hilt.

But it was the skulls that drew her attention.

The skulls, bleached white, sat on a shelf over the bedroom door. Arranged in a row, there were ten of them, and, as she looked closer, she could see that the incisors were elongated, and came to a point, almost, like-

_No_, she told herself. _They're fake, and for show. Nothing more_. So he had a collection of skulls; that didn't mean he was morbid or anything. _Did it?_

She turned her attention to scanning the rest of the apartment, to distract herself from the weird feeling she was getting.

His kitchen was tidy, but a small pile of dishes awaited a washing on the counter. She took another look around, certain there was something missing, something that she should be able to pick out but couldn't quite put her finger on.

A black cat wound itself around her legs as she thought, and she bent down to pet its soft fur, cooing to it and letting it lick her palm with its rough tongue.

Inuyasha appeared in the doorway, his pants done up and a white t-shirt on. His hair was pulled into a ponytail, showing off a stretched hole with a silver, hollow plug in his right ear. "I see you've met Satan."

Kagome looked up at him with a smirk on her face, forgetting her weird feelings. "What?"

He pointed to the cat with his elbow. "Satan. My cat." At the sound of his name Satan meowed, loudly, and then sat next to his food dish, clearly impatient to be fed.

"Later, Satan," he grumbled, and then smiled at her. "Ready?"

"Yes." She followed him to the elevator, carrying one of the two baskets of laundry he had. She watched the numbers count down on the digital display as they went past floor after floor, and suddenly it hit her: there were no pictures in his apartment, of his family or otherwise. That was what had been missing.

She didn't mention her epiphany as they trooped to his car. When they were on their way he said, "Do you want to pick up your car?"

She nodded; she'd forgotten all about her car. He dropped her off to get it, and then she followed him to the Laundromat, where they did his laundry and chatted about anything and everything. They got along so well, she wasn't sure that she hadn't known him forever, and he seemed to have a great deal of interest in her. She was beginning to hope that their friendship might turn into something more, and soon.

By the time they were finished it was time for lunch, and Kagome hoped he would invite her in again. Getting off the elevator with the folded clothes (she'd folded the bed sheets while he'd done his 'delicates'), he opened the door and asked, "You hungry?" Satan meowed loudly as they set down the two baskets, and she smiled at the cranky cat.

"Yeah, but I think Satan's going to chew off my leg if you don't feed him soon." Satan had sunk his claws into Kagome's pant leg and was gnawing on her jeans as she spoke, and Inuyasha frowned at the cat, and leaned over with his foot to kick him off. "Get off her, you freak of nature!"

Kagome laughed when the cat refused to let go and hid behind her leg.

"Damn cat." Inuyasha muttered, taking the initiative and turning on the can-opener.

Satan ran to him, and started to rub his legs as Kagome giggled, her hand to her mouth.

"Yeah, yeah, I know you're hungry, I'm coming," he mumbled, then turned to look at her. "Make yourself comfortable, and I'll whip us up some lunch." She looked at the red velvet couch and replied, "Okay. It's not every day someone makes me lunch. Let me know if you need help."

She sat down and turned on the TV, making a point of not looking at the skulls with their animal-like teeth. There was nothing on, and, upon closer inspection, he did have a Playstation, and several videogames. Typical male, she thought, raising a brow.

She sifted through the games: _Zelda, Dungeons and Dragons, Shrek, Final Fantasy, King Arthur, Underworld, Dracula_... She blinked at the last one. He seemed to have a preference for medieval.

A moment later he came out of the kitchen with two plates, and handed her one. "I hope you like French Toast."

"_Mais oui_." She dug in, and had eaten the three pieces he'd given her in five minutes. He still had two of his four left. He glanced at her, side-long. "Hungry?"

She smiled, wiping ketchup off her mouth. "Just a little."

"I see that. You eating over there?" He was referring to her apartment. She shrugged. "I eat when I'm hungry. A journalist doesn't really get much time to eat during the week, so I tend to pig out over the weekend."

"Uh huh. I didn't know you were a journalist."

She nodded. "Yep. For the Daily Sun." He nodded too, spearing a chunk of bread. "I see. What do you do in your spare time - besides pestering your neighbours?"

She made a face and punched his shoulder playfully. "Am I really pestering you?" He laughed. "No. I enjoy your company." She smiled. "I like being with you, too." Their heads were close, and the situation was in grave danger of becoming sexual. He looked away, and she blinked, disappointed. She tried not to show it.

"Are you an antiques dealer? There's some pretty neat stuff, here." _Not to mention some pretty weird stuff_...

He froze. _What was he going to tell her?_ He hadn't worked since the eighties, and then he had only done it for kicks. Private Investigation was a good cover for hunting vampires. He decided she'd given him the perfect alibi.

"I dabble in it." He couldn't very well tell her that he'd kept this apartment since the building went up thirty-five years ago, but he had to admit that maybe his place was a bit antiquated. His furniture and choice possessions had all been collected over his lifetime, and had accumulated here, his current residence. He had a place in every country, but he didn't pay rent because he made sure to live in a building that was run by a landlord who was a vampire. He had connections everywhere.

"Do you make a lot of money? You must, this place is nice." He blinked, shocked. The last woman he'd brought home had wanted to redecorate as soon as possible because, "This dump needed an update," as she put it. He had promptly shown her the door.

He smiled. "Thanks." She returned his smile, and said, "Would you like to see my apartment?" He laughed at her wiggling brows and put down his empty plate. "Sure." _She hadn't suspected a thing!_

She led him out into the hall and fished out her keys, opening her plain red door. She led him into the hallway, and then into the main room. He blinked for the second time, shocked again.

Unlike his apartment, which was dark, and richly furnished with antiques, hers was the complete opposite. There where sheer drapes hanging like a bug-net over the windows. The walls were a delicate green, and the Berber carpet, white. Her bed was enormous; he could see it just through the doorway. The white sheer fabric fell over the bed, as well, mounted from the ceiling with a single hook and eye. There was a futon and one settee, surrounding a low coffee table. She barely had any furniture compared to him. Her laptop sat open on a far desk, and there were small trinkets here and there of butterflies, Kagome's favourite animal. The place was impeccably neat.

"I thought you said your apartment was a mess?" Inuyasha asked. He was drawn to the picture frames that lined the dresser and window ledges. They were of her family, friends, and pets. Kagome from age six months to her current twenty-four, in all sorts of places with different people. He thought of the lack of photos in his own apartment. She looked sheepish as he glanced her way, caught in her fib.

Suddenly, he had a flashback, and as she turned her head to see his opinion of her place, her smile bright, he flashed from seeing Kikyou, bloody and pale, to Kagome, happy and tan in the sunlight from the window. These two images flickered back and forth rapidly, and he closed his eyes, and Sesshoumaru's face flashed past, his teeth white and sharp, his smile smug.

_I'm coming for you, Kagome_.

His eyes flew open, and she was there before him, her face concerned. "Inuyasha? Are you all right?"

He got up. He didn't remember sitting down. "I have to go." He had to get his bearings, think things out. If he was hallucinating, Sesshoumaru had to be near. He could not stay near her for long.

"What? You just got here-"

"I want you to lock the door behind me, Kagome. I have to go, but I'll be back. Don't leave your apartment for anything, or anyone, no matter what." He shut her door behind him and didn't leave until he'd heard her draw the dead-bolt and fasten the chain, and turn the lock in the knob.

He stumbled to his apartment, his head beginning to pound.

Opening the fridge, he dug a wine bottle out of the crisper, and popped the cork. Taking a few swallows, everything became clearer and distinct once again. _Goddamn you, Sesshoumaru_, Inuyasha thought, feeling the red fluid settle in his stomach, gradually warming as his body digested it. He hated to drink blood, and only kept the bottle for dire emergencies, but still... Sesshoumaru knew he hated it. _And, he knows that until I sate my thirst, Kagome is in danger from us both. I refuse to put her in danger_.

A man in a long, black coat stood on the corner below, watching the windows in the building. A small smirk lifted his lip, and then he was gone, only the sound of the fabric flapping in the breeze indicating he'd been there at all.

_**-SR-**_

Kagome looked at the clock on the wall. It was three already. _Had they been out all morning already, and half the afternoon?  
_

She sat down hard as the look on his face came back to her. He'd looked, well... not himself. He certainly hadn't left her an argument. She thought she'd seen something flicker in his eyes, but when she had looked, they'd been normal. She shook her head, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly tired.

She lay back on her bed and let the ceiling drift out of focus as she closed her eyes, the darkness enveloping her.

There was a bright flash of light, and a face. Blackness. Another flash. The face again, lip lifted in a smirk.

Kagome moaned in her sleep. The face was so pleasant, so... hot. She'd seen it somewhere before.

A flash of black, the rustle of leather in the wind, footsteps. Black. _A black wolf, yellow eyes, like fire_. Black.

The face again, hovering above her. His hair was loose, but did not inhibit her view. She could feel him over her, feel his breath on her face, his tongue on her skin, warm, feathery, cold. His eyes, undulating like fire, held her gaze, and she felt an attraction so strong she couldn't fight it. He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, and she could feel the warmth of his skin pressed against her entire body. She realised they were both naked.

He rose above her, his deep-set eyes smiling, his lips curling sensuously to reveal sharp, canine-like teeth. He flew toward her so fast she closed her eyes-

_Kagome!  
_

A heartbeat. _Was it her own?_ She didn't know. Blackness darker than any other blotted everything out.

_Kagome_...

Who was calling her? Was it him? There was another man, she was sure of it-

_Kagome_...

She rolled, her hands reaching out to search for him.

_You are mine_...

The voice was magnetic, deep and lusty, husky-sounding. She felt a warm heat spread between her legs.

_I want you_...

Her own little voice was screaming, _Run! Don't follow the voice! Stop!_ But she was powerless to obey.

_Come to me, Kagome_... _Come_... The face flashed before her eyes again , teeth bared, ready to strike-

Kagome sat up in bed, looking around her frantically, her chest heaving. She was alone.

The clock on the wall read three, but the windows were dark. _When had she fallen asleep?  
_

The dream was starting to fade, as it always did. She remembered bits, but most of all, a feeling of impending danger. Something - or someone - wanted to possess her. She lay back, and turned on the light.

There would be no more sleep for her tonight.

She remembered the creepy skulls in Inuyasha's apartment, and shivered. Her whole life she'd had a terrible fear of vampires, even though she knew it was silly to believe they existed. She'd never seen one, anyway. But, as she so often wrote about in her articles for the paper, truth was stranger than fiction, and nothing was impossible. She just hoped this irrational fear was fiction as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

_**-SR-**_

Inuyasha avoided her the next day, but she could hear him blasting music in his apartment.

On Monday she went back to work, despite his cryptic warning not to leave. Her editor chewed her out for making three spelling mistakes in her article, and earlier, she'd spilled hot coffee all down the front of her black blouse.

She was stewing in her office all day, and even Sango tended to steer clear of her. She barely noticed; her mind was lost in space.

She got up to go refill her coffee, and noticed that everyone was out on their lunch break. Apparently she'd been so spaced out she'd forgotten her hunger.

Turning around to return to her desk, she stopped dead.

There was a couple, twenty feet away, and they were embraced, kissing each other passionately. Kagome's mouth opened in shock.  
The woman kissing the man was _her_.

Both turned to look at her, and Kagome gasped as she recognised the man from her dream, and the bar, holding her reflection around the waist possessively. Her reflection wore an expression of contentment.

She shut her eyes, and when she opened them, no one was there. One of her co-workers walked past, but then the aisle was empty again.

She shuddered, and repressed a terrible urge to cry. _Something's very wrong here_...

_**-SR-**_

Ayame sat at her desk, quietly filling out paperwork. Her latest project, a rape victim, turned out to have extremely high levels of ecstasy in her blood, so she was now being classified as a date rape.

She signed her report and leaned back in her chair, her back cracking several times as she yawned and stretched her arms above her head. She looked up when she heard the receptionist, Judy, tell someone to come right on back to the lab, where she was. She frowned slightly.

She was the only one back here tonight.

Before she could get up, a shadow passed over her desk and she looked up into the most devastatingly handsome face she'd ever seen. Reflexively she smiled, curling her lip to unconsciously mock his own sexy smile. "Hi, can I help you with anything?" She twirled her hair around her finger, getting up to go around the desk and stand before him.

His gaze scrutinised her from head to foot, and she preened appealingly.

"I'm looking for... Kagome." His voice was like liquid velvet to her hypnotised ears. She moved a bit closer and looked up at him from under her sooty lashes. Images of the two of them in bed together flooded her mind, and she felt herself grow moist.

"She's not here. You're in luck, though. She lives in my building. You want me to take you there?"

He smiled again, and took her hand, brushing his lips across her knuckles in a feather-light kiss. She felt the sudden desire to do for him whatever he wanted, and hoped to be rewarded in return.

Picking up her purse and jacket, she led him out, both of them ignoring Judy even as she admired the dark man's rear-end. He glanced back at her, and she nearly fainted.

He grinned, flashing perfectly normal teeth.

_**-SR-**_

Sango caught up with Kagome on her way home, in the parking lot on the way to her car. "Kagome, wait up!"

Kagome slowed, waiting until her friend could catch up. Sango, shorter than Kagome, had to run to bridge the distance.

"Are you okay?"

Kagome decided that it might be time to confess her feelings to her friend, but she was still reluctant. Who was going to believe her when she told them she thought a vampire was stalking her? She was very tense, had been all day. The fact that he not only dominated her dreams, but was now showing up in her daily life, frightened the hell out of her, and she really needed to talk about it, and the soft, imploring look in Sango's eyes begged her to pour out her torment, but she couldn't do it. She just couldn't bear the ridicule if Sango laughed at her.

She forced a smile, and shook her head, but her eyes yet watered. "I'm fine. Just stressed, that's all."

"The editor yell at you?"

She nodded, and Sango smiled sympathetically, rubbing her arm. "Let me buy you a latte. That'll calm those frazzled nerves."

Kagome let her lead them to her car, where Sango delightfully grasped the opportunity to drive them to the nearest Tim Horton's.

_**-SR-**_

Ayame and the man dressed in black walked the six blocks to the apartments, she keeping up a mundane chatter the whole way. He listened for tidbits, but mostly he probed her thoughts. She hadn't known Kagome long, but that didn't matter. He had ways of remedying that.

They rode in the elevator up to the seventh floor, where they knocked on Kagome's door, but got no answer.

"Guess she's not here." Ayame looked at him pointedly. He was smiling, and looking at the door marked Seven C.

In Seven C, Inuyasha was asleep, tossing fitfully as he dreamed of Kagome, not Kikyou, all dressed in white, blood dribbling down her chin. His blood. The monster he called brother stood behind her, holding her possessively. His very manner indicated he considered the woman his. Inuyasha ground his teeth, and his incisors extended, slicing his lips as he opened and closed them, his jaw clenched. He was drenched in sweat, but couldn't wake up. He sensed Sesshoumaru nearby, very close, and suddenly shot awake.

He had to find Kagome.

Ayame was thinking that his smile was sexy enough to lick right off his mouth, and he looked into her eyes, and said, "I will wait. Which apartment is yours?"

She grinned, and he took the hand she offered. "Follow me."

_**-SR-**_

When Inuyasha opened his door, the hall was empty, but Sesshoumaru's scent was fresh.

He got on the elevator, following it, but failed to pick it up where it left off on the fourth floor. Instead, he back-tracked it all the way to the police station, then back to the Daily Sun building, which was closed for the night.

_What was his brother planning? And more to the point, **when** was he going to appear?  
_

Inuyasha closed his eyes, and concentrated all his telepathic power around him, searching for her. He finally touched on her six blocks away.

He ran.

_**-SR-**_

Sesshoumaru followed Ayame into her apartment, where the door closed of its own accord behind him. He looked around, taking in the yellow walls and the hardwood floors.

She tossed off her jacket and said, "Well, this is it. Did you want something to eat? Drink?" He turned to her, and stared into her eyes. She was so easy to control, almost willing. He enjoyed a passive victim.

She made a face, his answer clear to her. "No? Oh, well, I'll be right back, I'm going to change." She walked into her bedroom and slipped over her head the black t-shirt she'd been wearing under her lab jacket that had _Morbid is the new Cool!_ on it in white letters. She unbuckled her skirt and kicked it away. She thought to herself, _He never told me his name. Huh_. Shrugging, she turned to open her dresser, but wound up face-to-face with the man she'd left waiting in her foyer.

"I have many names."

Her mouth dropped open. The closeness of his face, the flickering red-gold of his eyes... it was all too much. She couldn't tear her gaze away.

"Mine means-"

"Iris."

"Yeah," she blurted, and he closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of her spicy perfume. She couldn't remember telling him her name.

"Mine means... Perfection."

She nodded her head, her eyes glued to his, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips. He watched her tongue slowly make its way across the dry skin, saturating it, turning it red.

His favourite colour.

"Killing... Perfection."

Before she knew it, Ayame was on her back, naked, and he was on top, taking her to higher and higher crests of absolute pleasure, filling her to the brim, giving her her every desire.

She took it all, and when he turned her head to the side, just as she orgasmed, he bit down into her jugular, savouring the salty, iron taste of her life's blood. He sucked hard, and she moaned, lost in the infinite sexual ecstasy he brought her to, and, taking his fill, he licked the wound, two punctures in the thin skin of her neck.

When Ayame opened her eyes again, everything was intensified: she could hear the sound of a moth's wing's beat as it tried to find a way out through an open window, the screen barring its way. She could taste the slick sweat of Sesshoumaru's neck as she licked it lazily, laying in his arms in the aftermath of the love-making . She could feel every miniscule touch of his skin against hers, and the sharpness of her elongated incisors as she ran over them with her tongue. She could see into the tiniest corner, and focus on any star through the window, in perfect detail. Her heart had ceased to beat.

She had been reborn, and he welcomed her into her new world with a passionate kiss. She looked past his head as he again licked away the tiny trickle that had leaked from her wounds, and she glanced down.

They were no longer in the bed, but levitating three feet above it.

She felt free.

She felt alive.

She felt insanely hungry.

He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear, "Not yet. I have plans for you, my Iris." She relaxed, and the hunger dampened. He perused her body one more time, before flicking a tongue over each eyelash.

She would sleep, until he called for her.

_**-SR-**_

Ugh, I don't even have the ambition to beg for reviews right now, I'm so tired. Do as you will, and I will be pleased to respond to any takers. Until next time...


	5. Sex Is Not A Tool, It's An Action!

Well, well, well! I must say for a lethargic day things have been going well! FYI, I may have to get a small surgury done (I'm so excited) to fix a heart problem I've had for eight years now, but when it's over the only health issue I'll have is residual acne. Stupid acne. Anyway, enjoy chapter... whatever this is! I can't remember. Five or something.

Deds:

**Nimeway** - I am proud to have you as a member! Your thoughts are very nice, and make me happy! I received a notice today about a fav story alert from someone who's been a member of this site for two years, and mine is the only story in her favourites list. I felt so honored to be there, I can't tell ya how nice it feels! But your comments are always more than welcome, and I thank you humbly for them!

**Mystical Hanyou** - Ohh, very evil is he. So evil, he's diabolical! Lol, I'm a whack. Or a hack. Whatever blows yer hair back, I say! Yup, Ayame's about to get a friend to play with, so... intense reading ahead, Captain!! Look out for pointy rocks there, too, eh?!?!

**Jennie** - Oh...My...God. I haven't heard from you in a million years!! What have you been up to, hun?? I missed your uplifting comments, I wondered what could have possibly happened to you, but I'm sure life interfered. Which is fine, I just missed you is all! I'm glad you like it, and continue to like it, cuz I've finished it, so no worries about me abandoning this one. I can't. It's done! Besides, I like to finish what I start, if I possibly can (food doesn't always count, must exercise!) So drop me a line, I'd love to hear what you've been keeping yourself busy doing. And how is Amaya? Bigger, I'll bet, and clumsy as a teenager! Ha! Though in my experience, being a teenager was more of a hassle than it was stumbly, but whatever. Miss ya!

_**Sanguine Ronin**_

_Chapter Four_

_**"He blinded her with sex... what an asshole."**_

Sango and Kagome sat at a table in the back corner, in shadow. The setting sun was obscured by huge thunderheads, so the evening had taken on a dreary note.

Kagome cupped her coffee protectively, while Sango sat and sipped hers lazily. She looked into Kagome's eyes as she put her cup down and said, "Come on, Kagome. There's something going on with you. What is it?"

Kagome was still reluctant. If she were just crazy, there'd be no harm done, but if she weren't... she didn't want her friends dragged into whatever it was that she sensed was about to happen. "I don't know. I just have some pretty weird dreams, that's all. They make me jumpy." That was all she was going to give her. Sango would have to be satisfied with it.

"About what?"

Kagome hated to lie, but right now, she didn't think she had a choice. "I don't remember. It fades as soon as I wake up."

"Oh." Sango sounded disappointed. Kagome smiled a little. "Hoping I was going to dish on some juicy sex dream?"

Sango hid her face under her hair, but when she looked up, she was grinning. "Maybe. I have to live vicariously through others. My own sex-life is practically non-existent."

Kagome snorted. Her sex-life was confined to her head. "So is mine, you know. Ayame's the one you want to talk to if you need to live vicariously."

"Ain't that the truth."

Both girls laughed, but it was hollow. Their friend hadn't been answering her phone since they'd tried calling her after work. They were worried, but not enough to bring it up... yet.

Suddenly, Inuyasha burst through the doors, and spotted them immediately. Kagome had just about made up her mind when she saw the look on his face. He was nuts.

"Kagome, I need to talk to you."

Sango got up, a smirk on her round face. "I'll leave you two alone. Easiest thing in the world for me to just go away. You," she pointed to Kagome, "call me!" She disappeared, and Inuyasha sat in her seat.

Kagome eyed him warily. She really wished Sango hadn't left them alone.

She watched him as he searched her eyes, something desperate in his that made her want to believe him. Inuyasha knew that if she didn't, he'd have to use his limited powers to persuade her, and he didn't relish the thought, but would do it if it came down to that. She had to be protected.

"Kagome, is there someone in your life whom you've never met but seem to know? Someone whom you dream about? Someone, who has always been with you?"

Her face was frozen in shock. _How did he know?_

He reached out and clasped her hand in his. "Please, Kagome, I need you to come with me. I need-"

She got up, and grabbed her purse. _This was insane!_ What he was saying was crazy.

"I need to go home, Inuyasha. I really don't have time for this. In fact, it's a very bad time to bring this nonsense up. I've got enough going on without you adding to it."

He followed her onto the street, dark but still bustling with life. The moon was red. "Kagome, wait! You're not crazy."

She stopped in tracks, her hand on the door handle of her car. "What?"

He grabbed her shoulders, and looked her in the eye. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and he was desperate for her to see the truth. "I know about the man in your dreams, the man who comes for you. I know that you've been seeing him, Kagome. I know because..." This was the hard part. "I know because I have the dreams too. Only he comes to kill me." She frowned, but he could feel that she was coming around. "I am his half-brother, Kagome."

Her eyes flew open, and she stuttered, "Hi-his brother? Then you-"

He hung his head, and nodded. She covered her mouth with her hand, and backed away. He followed her. "Kagome, please, don't be afraid. I would never hurt you." He hoped.

She turned to him, "But, the sun, it doesn't-"

"No, it doesn't hurt me. Neither does holy water or silver. I am not like _him_."

She nodded, understanding, but still shocked. "Who _is _he?"

"He's gone by many names. Viscount, His Lordship, Master, Daimyo... Dracula is quite common," he saw her eyes flick up, disbelief writ in them, "but his actual name his Sesshoumaru."

"Sesshoumaru? Perfect Killer?"

He shrugged, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Seems to fit, doesn't it."

She sat down on the curb hard. "So, what does he want with me? I've been plagued with dreams my whole life, why is all this happening now? And why are you helping me?"

He sat down beside her, his eyes filled with more emotion than he'd shown a woman in centuries. "Because, Kagome, he's coming for you. I have something to tell you, that I think you need to know."

_**-SR-**_

Sango rode in the elevator alone, and tried calling Ayame again, and again she got her voicemail. Swearing, she hung up and got off, digging her keys out of her purse as she opened the door.

Before she could close it, someone called her name, but not aloud. In her head.

_Sango_.

She looked up, and a man was staring back at her from the elevator, his long black hair shivering on an invisible breeze, his black coat fluttering around his ankles.

She felt pure fear knife through her, but in an instant, it was gone. In it's place, was only his voice.

_Sango... are you alone, coral-skinned beauty?  
_

She nodded, dropping her purse on the floor. He smiled at her, his sexy smirk that made his victims' hearts race with wanton passion. He could hear her pulse speeding up, and she felt it pound in her ears as he came closer.

She opened the door wide as he approached, and, holding out his hand, she took it, and he pulled her to him, kissing her thoroughly. When he released her lips, both were standing in the doorway, and he kicked it shut behind him.

He flung her against the wall hard enough to knock off framed pictures of her little brother as he kissed her, but she took no notice. He undressed her all the way to her room, ripping her clothes off and at last coming to her thong.

_Such a waste_, he thought, tearing it off her, but she heard him. He looked into her eyes, and when she blinked, they were on the bed, and he had risen above her, his fangs lengthening quickly as he prepared to bite her.

He pinned her hands above her head with one of his own, and he thought, _Sango, be not afraid. This will only sting for a moment..._

She lay limp and compliant beneath him, and he sunk his teeth into her smooth neck. She jerked, but he entered her at the same time, and she flexed her muscles around him, her pain forgotten in the exquisite sensation of his length filling her. She arched her back, lifting them both, and when her eyes flew open to stare into his, they were red.

_Yes, Sango... you are mine_.

_I am yours_.

He finished making love to her, and then rolled away when she tried to bite him. He shook a finger at her reprovingly, the smooth skin of his face red in the moonlight from the window. _Not yet, my beauty. In good time, you will sate your raging thirst_.

She smiled, her teeth hanging over her lower lip, in a way he found incredibly sensual. Kneading a breast in his hand, he flipped her on her back, and took her once again.

The room went black, and when Sango could see again, Ayame was standing over them, clothed in a thin black dress. Her red hair spilled down her back in waves, and her eyes matched them. Hissing and gently raking her nails down her Master's pale back, she joined them.

_**-SR-**_

"So you're telling me that this guy I've been dreaming about and just recently been starting to see is going to try to turn me into a vampire?"

Inuyasha knew she wasn't swallowing a word of this, but he couldn't stress it any harder. "You've been seeing him??"

"Yes." She held her head in her hands.

He looked at her long black hair, and the shininess, even in the red sheen of the overhead moon, before answering her question. "I think that's what he's got in mind. Maybe more. I can't be sure, his mind-blocks are strong."

She stared at her feet. _This whole conversation sounded like a load of shit_. She looked at him hard, trying to discern if he was lying to her. She could find no trace of deceit, but wondered if she wasn't right about him in thinking that he was the crazy one; he really believed in this crap. _He believed she was the reincarnation of his dead girlfriend, for Christ's sake!_ And that this Sesshoumaru guy was going to try and consume her soul when he turned her, as a way of seeking revenge on his so called half-brother, Inuyasha.

She was having a very difficult time trusting his words. She made up her mind.

"Look, Inuyasha, you're a nice guy, and I really thought we had something between us, but this just isn't working. I can't do this, and now I'm going to ask you to leave me alone." She got up, and he watched in heartfelt sorrow as she got in her car and drove away.

He wasn't getting through to her, and he must. He quickly followed her.

She took the stairs to her apartment this time. She was in no mood to wait for the elevator, or give Inuyasha a chance to catch up. She needed to think.

She opened her apartment, but when she flicked on the light, nothing happened. Closing the door, but not all the way, she saw lightening flash through the living room window, and then her world went black.

The hair on her neck stood on end as a silhouette appeared in the light, and again when the lightening flashed. She blinked, trying to dispel the hallucination.

It didn't work.

_Kagome..._

He was before her in an instant, leaning close to her, breathing in her smell. She stood rigid as the light from behind the door just made his face visible.

He opened his eyes, and she saw the red ring around the orange iris, flickering with life. He seemed glad to see her. "I loved you once." He actually spoke the words, but she didn't hear them. He brought his hand up to her chin, tracing her jaw in the air with his sharp nail.

_Do not resist me, Kagome... We belong together_.

She thought, _No, I don't know you-  
_

_You will_.

_Inuyasha-  
_

_Is meaningless_.

_No..._ Laughter made her look behind her, through the crack in the door.

Ayame and Sango were outside, Sango on the wall, gravity only affecting her hair, while Ayame lay on the ceiling, her hair completely unaffected.

"Kagome, if we didn't know any better, we'd think you didn't like us that much."

She narrowed her eyes. This couldn't be real... but it was. Her friends were one of _them_.

Sango giggled, "I can't believe you've had something this juicy secreted away in that innocent little mind of yours. I never knew you had such a sensational subconscious sex-life!"

Kagome felt a hand hover over her shoulder as her friends came down to stand together before her in what seemed like fast-motion. Ayame crooned, "I thought I knew what a lover was, Kagome. I had no idea, but soon, you'll know what I mean." Sango bared her teeth and hissed, "Bitch! You never thought we might like a piece of the action, did you? Selfish-"

_Ladies_.

The warning was too late. Tears of sorrow, fear, and regret streamed down her face. _What had she brought upon them all?  
_

The droplets dripped from her chin, and Sesshoumaru reached out to catch one with a finger, and tasted it. Its saltiness was almost sweet on his bitter tongue. Holding out his arms and beckoned to the others.

_Come. Let us introduce Kagome to the pleasures of the other side..._

Kagome felt powerless to deny him. Her heart wept for her best friends, her only friends, now soulless monsters, who smirked, giggled and fingered her hair and clothes unashamedly, sexually.

Suddenly, the elevator opened, and Inuyasha stepped out, his hand up and his gun ready. Kagome reached out to him, and was surprised to hear him think, _I won't let him take you! Run, Kagome!_ His words were laced with fear for her.

The bullets took Ayame off guard; she slammed into the wall with the force of the momentum, hissing in pain as her own precious blood was lost through the wounds.

Sesshoumaru frowned, a sexy yet nasty expression as she broke free, but he called to her.

_Stop_.

She did, but reached out to Inuyasha, who was still firing, hitting Sango in her shoulder and throwing her down the hall, skidding in a pile of black silk across the dirty linoleum.

"Kagome, come on!" he shouted, reaching. Her fingers stretched, but she was anchored to the spot, and could feel his pull like a magnet. He controlled her body, but she fought with all her might, and soon his hold began to loosen.

He snarled in defeat.

Grabbing her hand, Inuyasha felt his eyeteeth elongate of their own accord, but he pulled her into his apartment, locking the door and flinging it with Holy water he kept in a bottle on the floor.

The hisses of the girls' could be heard as they pounded the door, and soon they stopped trying to get in.

Kagome panted in exertion on the floor, her head in her hands. Inuyasha looked through the peephole, but there was no one there. He knew better than to go out and make sure.

Sliding his back down the wall, he came to rest in a crouch across the hall from her, and physically resisted his brother's coercions to turn on her, and suck her dry.

Finally the telepathic link was severed, and Inuyasha realised Kagome was touching his arm. _Had she severed the link?  
_

She looked at him earnestly and asked, "What the _hell_ is going on here??"

He smiled wryly, his chest still heaving. "Are you a believer now?"

_**-SR-**_

She sat on his couch, her feet tucked up underneath her. He offered her some coffee, and she took it eagerly.

She got up to get a closer look at the skulls mounted on the wall. "Those are all real, aren't they?"

He stood beside her, and nodded. "Yes. They are the first ten I ever killed." She kept staring, looking at each one. They were labelled, with the name and date of death marked on the foreheads.

One had fangs pressed together on the lower jaw, not the upper. Another had only one, the other missing, and a third had had his teeth filed down. They were still recognisable, though. The oldest one dated back to 1569.

"He was my second. I didn't keep the first."

She turned to look at him, the story he'd told her about killing the only woman he'd ever loved to save her mortal soul from damnation ringing in her mind. "She was the first, wasn't she?"

He nodded, then turned away, changing the subject. "Listen. I wouldn't advise being alone tonight. You need to arm yourself, and be prepared to believe everything I say to you, because it is real. This isn't a game, Kagome, it's your life, and they mean to take it from you. I will help, but only you can truly defend yourself long enough to kill him." She nodded, feeling just a little overwhelmed. _She was a journalist, not a survivalist!  
_

He pushed a button behind the frame of an old Renaissance painting and the wall across from the window flipped open, revealing a hidden compartment underneath. Mounted with care were several pistols, from turn-of-the-century glocks to semi-automatics, hand-held crossbows, and several intricately engraved silver stakes. A large crossbow dominated several silver-tipped arrows, and small knives with hilts fashioned to look like crosses hung underneath it.

Lastly, and mounted at the top, was a sword sheath with a katana inside, the handle looking old and shabby. She paid it no attention, but did see the kanji for Tetsusaiga carved in the scabbard.

He took down two of the knives, a semi-automatic hand-gun with a magazine of silver bullets, and the big crossbow. "I want you to use these. Have you ever handled a weapon before?"

Her face was blank. "Do I _look _like an arms dealer? I've never touched any of this stuff in my life! I hate weapons!"

He sighed mentally. He'd hoped she'd at least had some experience. He'd have to teach her in what little time they had, before Sango and Ayame got too hungry and started taking innocent people for victims.

"Well, you're going to have to learn to like them, because they might just save your life. Vampires can be killed by a direct blow to the heart, or decapitation, which is preferable. Prevents the bastards from coming back to bite you in the ass." She fingered the heavy wire of the crossbow as he hefted an axe, its blade long and lethal, for himself.

"There's something else you need to know, Kagome."

She looked up at him, almost afraid of what more he would tell her.

"Sesshoumaru's telepathy is powerful, and he may compel me to... try to kill you." His face was grave. "If that happens, Kagome, and your touch cannot redeem my soul, then I want you to kill me. But promise me that you will take him down with me."

She shook her head. "I can't-"

"You might have to," he interrupted her, "because if you don't, you'll have four vampires on your hands. And _no one_ to help you."

"Please," she whispered, sinking to her knees on the floor, "don't let him compel you. I can't do this alone." Her head snapped up. "Will Ayame and Sango have to die?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. They say the disease dies with its Master, but I've never seen it happen. I just killed them. Out there, it's kill or be killed."

She looked at the big bow in her lap, and squared her shoulders, her tears of remorse trickling down her face despite her expressionless visage. "So be it. I'll think of it as putting them out of their misery."

"Or saving them." He rubbed her shoulder consolingly.

"Yeah." _If she was saving them why did it hurt so bad?  
_

"You hungry?"

She shook her head. "No. I think it's time I learned the tricks of the trade." She held up the crossbow.

He smiled. "That' a girl."

Her grin was weak in return. She wanted to know more about what he meant when he'd mentioned her touch.

"When you touched me, back there, I was receiving a compulsion from Sesshoumaru to kill you. He knows I would never do it willingly, but he pushes me to piss me off. You severed the telepathic link he had to my mind when you touched me. Now, Kikyou was a holy vessel; she could purify anything with a mere touch. I suspect you are able to do the same."

She brought her hand to her heart. "That's why he didn't touch me..."

Inuyasha frowned. "What?"

She looked into his face. "Earlier, just before you showed up, he reached out to me a few times, _but he never actually touched me_. Do you think maybe he's afraid of me?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Vampires aren't as plentiful as they used to be, Kagome. He may have another purpose in mind for you, but I think he needs to turn you to accomplish whatever it is he has in mind. He may not know that you didn't know you could purify him."

"What purpose?"

Inuyasha had a few ideas, but he didn't want to scare her any more than necessary. "I don't know." He wondered how Sesshoumaru planned to control her without incinerating himself. He'd used the Jewel to get to Kikyou, but Kagome had nothing like that to be used against her. She was very vulnerable to mind control, though, and had had no Holy training to exercise her powers. He could control her that way, he supposed.

She seemed to sink into herself, deep in thought. She paced away from him, the bow swinging in her hand. He could see her fingers gripping it tightly. She seemed to come to a decision.

"So, how do I use this thing?"

He grinned.

She was ready.

_**-SR-**_

Oooh, time to learn the lefts and rights of kicking vampire ass. Not that there's much to learn with a crossbow, just point and shoot! Watch out for leprechauns, tho. When something weird and out of place happens, you know a leprechaun did it! Well, there are only a handful of you (2-4), so, review if you get a minute, willya? My morale is depressingly low!


	6. The Undead, Deceased

Well, second-last chapter. Prepare for the _**sex**_! Hehe, I know, you can say it. This fic is suspiciously similar to _Dracula 2000_, so now that that's out in the open, I can honestly say I didn't mean for it to be that way. Seriously, I bought and read like, nine different vampire smut novels which were all semi-original, and mashed them together because, let's face it, originalty is over-rated these days. Just ask Disney. When there's a 2 of everything, you know you've run out of ideas! Am I right?? Anyway, don't sue, like I said, oops, didn't do it on purpose, but there wasn't much originalty to work with. Bite me!!(Lawyers, not readers. I love you guys, even though there are only... five of you. Roughly. Sigh.)

Deds:

**Nimeway** - Just to clear things up, I have no idea what I'm doing, but that's why writing's so fun! Spontaneity (wow, if that's spelled wrong, kick me!) just makes things so much more interesting. I have never touched a crossbow, so if it's hard to draw, I wouldn't know. Let's say it looks old, but has an easy-loading feature. Nice, eh? Thanks for the boost. It's much appreciated!

**InuGoddess715 **- Well, welcome to the story! It's so nice to hear from someone new (no offences meant for regulars, you guys rock!) who's so enthusiastic. So, you like my weird vamp story, eh? Well, it's a conglomeration, for sure. Thanks for your kind words, and I hope to hear from you again in the future!

**Mystical Hanyou** - He sure did, lol. And Sesshy_ is_ sexy, isn't he? For anyone who hasn't seen _Dracula 2000_ I highly recommend it. Mmmm, Gerard Butler. Steamy.(Also recommended: _Blood Red_ by Heather Graham, _Don't Talk Back To Your Vampire_ by Michelle Bardsley (very funny!), _Demon Hunter_ by Christine Feehan, _'Salem's Lot_ by Stephen King, _Any Which Way But Dead _by Kim Harrison, and _Dates From Hell_ featuring excerpts from stories by Lyndsay Sands, Kim Harrison, Laurie Handeland, and one more author that I can't remember.) Also good, and somewhat quirky, was _Wicked Fantasy_ by Nina Bangs.

_**Sanguine Ronin**_

_Chapter Five_

_**"If it wasn't for Kagome, I wouldn't be standing here, talking to you, dead."**_

Morning dawned rainy and bleak.

Kagome lay on her stomach on the red couch, her arms hanging off the side and her mouth slightly open.

Inuyasha took a moment to really look at her.

Kikyou was there, he could see her in the shape of her face, and the straight slant of her thin nose. Yet this woman was uniquely Kagome; she had some of the same physical aspects of Kikyou, but her hair was shorter, her eyes wider, a different colour, and tanner skin. She was taller, too. And kind. Kikyou had had a fiery disposition until one got to know the real her, and Kagome had at first been quite open and flirtatious, nothing like Kikyou. She had taken to him immediately, and only when backed into a corner did she come out fighting.

He stifled the urge to caress her cheek, velvety in the early morning light. Her hair was a mess, but it only added to her sex appeal. He curled his fingers into a fist to keep them at bay and got up to make coffee, before he did something he'd regret later. If anything were to happen between them it would be of her accord; he'd made himself this promise and fully intended to keep it.

She awoke to the sound of coffee percolating, and followed her nose. Smiling warmly, he placed a mug in her hands, letting her have the first cup.

She sipped it. "Mmm."

He chuckled. "You seem to like your coffee."

She smiled back over the rim. "I worship it."

An image of she and him together in bed flashed through his mind, but he promptly cut it off, even though he had a burning desire to pursue it.

She finished her coffee and asked, "Can I use your shower?"

He felt himself grow hard at just the thought of her naked in his bathroom, but hid it well. "Sure."

She smiled seductively, unaware, he was sure, of just how sexy she really was. "Thanks. I won't take long."

He drank his own coffee and attempted to curb his lust by concentrating on how they were going to defeat his brother.

Kagome shut the bathroom door behind her and undressed, letting her clothes pool around her feet on the floor. Standing in just her thong and bra, she studied herself critically in the mirror. _Did he really like her? Or was he just helping her as vengeance for his dead girlfriend? _She wished she knew what he was thinking when he looked into her eyes with that sultry gaze of his. He made her feel like she was on fire, from the tingling of her scalp to the wiggling of her smallest toes. She felt the need to feel his hands on her, reassuring her, protecting her... making love to her.

_I'm crazier than Ayame_, she thought, shaking her head sadly at the thought of her damned friend. _I barely know the guy and even though I think he's crazy I want to jump his bones_.

She tilted her head as she looked at her thighs. She'd always thought them to be one of her worst features, right up there with the small space in her teeth and the fact that her left ear was higher than the right. Her butt was jiggly and her back covered in yucky freckles. She sighed. I _guess nobody's perfect. I'll bet Sango's butt is jigglier_.

Thinking this made her feel a little better about herself, but thinking of her friends depressed her. _Would she be able to save them? Would they even accept her help? Would they be willing to revert?  
_

Tears spilled down her cheeks without her noticing them. She suddenly felt so alone in the world that she wanted - needed - someone to hold her and tell her everything would be all right.

Inuyasha, unable to stop himself from hovering around the bathroom door where he knew she was naked, heard her sobs and inched open the door, which hadn't been completely closed to begin with.

Kagome was curled against the wall on the floor, her head in her arms, her legs crossed at the knees. She was wearing almost nothing but he still couldn't see anything. He knelt before her, and gently touched her hair. She lifted her head, her eyes red, and without preamble, crawled into his arms, wrapping her arms about his neck and pressing her breasts against his chest.

He felt all his blood rush, and felt her heart through the thin material of his shirt. She was so warm, and beautiful... but her tears were hotter, and were leaving an ever-growing dark spot on his shoulder. He pulled her close, making soothing noises to quiet her sobs.

"What's wrong, honey? Why are you crying?" He figured his questions were pretty redundant, but he asked them anyway.

She looked up at him and confessed, "I'm so afraid, Inuyasha. They're my _best_ friends... what if... what if I can't help them?"

Her sobs had turned to hiccups and he rested his chin on her head, tucking her face into his neck. It never occurred to him to remember that he'd done this another time, in another place, with another woman.

His endearment had made her heart soar. She felt so safe in his arms, and she began to feel a little better, despite her miserable mood.

"It might work, you know. If we can kill him, and keep them off our backs... we might get them back." He dropped a warm kiss on her head, and tilted her chin up so he could look in her face. "I will do everything I can to help you through this, Kagome. I won't let him hurt you."

She felt her heart burst with love for him, and despite her earlier admonishment to herself about turning into a hussy, she reached up with her neck and met his lips with her own.

She felt his body stiffen beneath her and thought maybe he was angry, or didn't think of her _that way_, and she tried to back off, but he held her fast, and sought her mouth with his own. He kissed her gently, to sooth her fears, and then the kiss grew urgent, as if they couldn't get enough of each other.

He splayed his fingers over her back, rubbing her skin in slow, sensuous circles. She dug her fingers into his coal-black locks, and let her fingers massage his scalp in much the same fashion he was massaging her. Adjusting her position, they parted for a breath and she whispered, "Shower with me?"

He smiled at her, dragging his tongue across her upper lip, flicking it gently. "Gladly."

She grinned and pulled his shirt over his head, before getting up to stand before him in nothing but her skimpy underwear. He sat looking up at her, and thought she was gorgeous. He reached out to touch the smooth skin of her leg, and her eyes narrowed a bit.

He said, "Your legs are so beautiful," in such a husky voice she immediately forgot her hang-up and let herself bask in the touch of his warm hands on her thighs, exploring her thoroughly. She closed her eyes and soon he stood too, trailing his fingertips up her sides and reaching around for the catch to her bra.

He looked into her eyes, asking permission, and as an answer she kissed the tip of his nose, and smiled.

Smirking slowly, he pulled the hooks out of the eyes and let the garment fall away. He took in the sight of her breasts, lifting and falling with every breath. She took his hands and put them on her, and he needed no more encouragement. He squeezed her gently as she reached down to unzip his jeans, her mouth occupying his while her hands were busy. Soon his pants joined her bra, and she slid her hands down the back of his boxers, feeling the firm skin of his backside. He grinned into her mouth and murmured, "Vixen," and she caught his lower lip with her teeth and ground her hips to his. "You haven't seen anything yet."

She felt amazingly confident, considering she'd never done this before. She'd had plenty of dreams about it, though, and felt bolder and bolder as they grew hotter for each other. His eager reaction to her fuelled her passion, and she yanked his boxer shorts down and knelt before him, her eyes smoky in the shadow of the soft bathroom lights.

He watched her with interest as she moved around his obvious erection, and she smiled up at him with a devilish glint in her eye. He felt a stab of anticipation, but remained silent.

Kagome had taken one look at him and almost panicked, but she wasn't going to show him her trepidation. She had come this far; she wasn't going to turn back now.

Gripping him firmly with her fist, she flicked her tongue out to taste the tip of him. He shuddered involuntarily, but she didn't stop. She took him in her mouth, her lips tightening around him so slowly he thought he'd lose it right there, but he held on. He wanted her to be ready for him; he wouldn't take his fill without her.

He pushed her gently away and took her hands, drawing her up to stand once again. He hooked his thumbs under her thong straps and kissed her hotly, making a trail from her mouth down her neck, over her collarbone to her nipple. She closed her eyes and gave herself up to his sweet torture. The thong fell to the floor.

He drew hard on her, and soon she found herself with her back to the wall, the towel bar going unnoticed as it pressed into her back. She rubbed her foot up and down his leg as she held them up, bearing his weight while he tasted her warm flesh with sure, erotic strokes. She murmured, "Ohh, Inuyasha, I can't take it," and he eased off, trailing hot kisses back up to her mouth, then all over her upturned face, licking the inside of her ear last.

He whispered, "I think I love you, Kagome," so lustily that she felt something deep within her contract. She felt moist and she ground her hips into his. Picking her up, he carried her to his darkened bedroom, her legs wrapped tight about his waist, her moist heat saturating his thigh, and he throbbed in anticipation of plunging deep inside her.

He flopped her onto her back, and nuzzled her neck, her nails raking down his back in a delicious pattern of sensation, raising goose bumps on his skin and making it twitch with erotic irritation. She splayed her legs, and he settled himself between them, and she raised her hips, ready for him. He melded his mind with hers and felt all the lust and passion that heated her veins, and when she opened wide eyes to him, he knew she could feel everything that he was enduring at the sight of her naked body so eager for his. She smiled lazily, ready to take all that he had to give, and give as much back as she could.

Inuyasha held her firmly down with his shoulders as he lunged into her, hearing her gasp and breaking through her virgin barrier in one clean thrust. He waited for her to relax her muscles around him, even though she was so tight, before he pulled out, then pushed back in. He'd felt her pain in his mind, and hated to be unable to sooth it.

Soon she was urging him on, her pain forgotten, and he pumped her hard, riding her into one climax after another. She called out his name, and he licked the sweat from her hot brow. Feeling passion rise in her veins yet again, she took the initiative and flipped them over, so she was riding him this time.

Inuyasha obediently let her put his arms above his head as he watched her, her hair hanging over him and trailing down his chest in feather-light flutters. The darkness of the room had obscured his face to her earlier, but his superb night vision ensured that he missed nothing as she settled herself above him, before lowering herself ever so slowly onto him, tightening her muscles and pressing down until he was completely inside her. She began to move, a little at first, then at increasing speed, flexing and relaxing her muscles around him as she rode him, and he anchored her hips with his hands, holding her gaze the entire time. There was something so carnal, so base, so raw in her eyes that he could almost see her utter desire to sate herself with him reflected back at him in her glazed expression.

Their climaxes came one after the other, dissolving into aftershocks as she lay on top of him, exhausted. She didn't remove him from her yet, but just lay still and enjoyed the quiet pull of air into his lungs, lifting her with every breath he took, the feel of him filling her. Her wet body pressed flush to his, their fingers intertwined though neither remembered seeking the others' hand.

Finally she rolled off him, and propped herself up on an elbow, staring at his profile tiredly. His eyes were closed, but he was far from asleep. With her finger she traced the tilt of his nose, his strong chin, his smooth, slick brow.

He turned to look at her, satisfaction writ all over her tired face, her eyes half-closed with sleepiness. Rolling to face her, he pulled her into his arms, and kissed each of her eyelids, murmuring, "Sleep, my soft one," and using a slight mental push to make her fall asleep. She did not fight him, and she relaxed in his arms, her breath coming and going shallowly, her sleep deep.

He breathed in the musky smell of her lilac-scented hair, sweaty from their intensely sexual skirmish. He sighed, and reached out with his mind to see if there was an evil hovering nearby. There was none, and that worried him, but he would sleep lightly, his senses tuned to detect the slightest evil aura.

Satan meowed at the foot of the bed, hopping up to make himself comfortable. He was astonished to realise that they'd made love almost all morning; it had seemed to take no time at all.

Closing his eyes, he slept, remembering that neither of them had actually had that shower. _Oh well_.

_**-SR-**_

They awoke again in the evening, just as the sun was setting to the west. Inuyasha rolled over, expecting to see Kagome's face next to him, but she wasn't there. Panicking, he sat up, shifting the bed forward three inches.

She stood at the foot of the bed, a smile on her face. "Morning. Well, evening, to be precise." Her hair was damp, and she had a plate of cinnamon toast in her hand.

He smiled back at her, and got up, pulling her to him as he set her plate aside. She was wearing nothing except one of his t-shirts, big enough to cover the necessities. It was red, his favourite one, with the words _I'm with the Band_ written on it in sloppy letters, and some letters in graffiti. He'd gotten it at a Linkin Park concert.

She giggled at he pressed his body to hers, fitting like they were meant to be two halves of the same whole. She trailed her fingers down the back of his neck and smiled, then seemed to remember something.

"Oh! Let me show you something. I was practicing while you were sleeping."

The day before, he'd set up a target for her in the living room, and had helped her practice aiming and shooting the crossbow from further and further away. She had sucked at first, but quickly gotten the hang of it. By the time they'd become wrapped up in each other, she was able to at least hit the target every time.

He smiled and watched with indulgence as she quickly loaded one of her practice arrows and aimed at the small target. She was as far away as she could get. Holding it up, she sighted the bull's eye and pulled the trigger. The arrow hit the bull's eye, right in the center.

He whistled. "_Very_ good. You learn fast."

She smiled, and flipped her wet hair over her shoulder. "What can I say, I seem to have an aptitude for this thing." She waved the crossbow around in her hand.

He grinned. "That doesn't surprise me. _She_ was good with a bow, too. It stands to reason that you would be."

Her smile tamped down a bit. His gaze had become far away, as if remembering old times, and she felt as if she were intruding just standing there. She lowered the crossbow and went to the bathroom to gather up her own clothes. She hadn't seen the paintings in his room, for he'd covered them up as soon as the one of her was dry, to protect them from the sun's bleaching their colours.

He saw her leave but didn't become aware that he was alone until several minutes later. He followed after her, and opened the bathroom door just as she pulled her shirt over her head. She glanced at him in the mirror. Her words were blunt.

"I have to go to my apartment. I can't hide here forever."

He instantly regretted bringing Kikyou up. He knew by the hard line of her jaw that she was upset. He mentally kicked himself, but decided they could deal with this another time, when the threat had passed.

"Take the bow. And some stakes. I'll get you a bottle of Holy water."

She turned around, tying her hair back into a ponytail. "I'm only going a few feet."

He returned a moment later with the bottle. "We're going hunting tonight. You don't want your friends creating a small army, do you?"

Kagome lowered her eyes to the ground. For a while there she'd been able to forget her problems. But he was right, she had to face up to them and find out what Sesshoumaru wanted with her.

She didn't tell him she planned to ask the master vampire just what he meant to do with her. She knew Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to finish him and be done with it, as did she, since he'd diseased her best friends, but her curiosity demanded to be sated. She had a feeling Inuyasha knew more than he was letting on.

She took the water he handed her and he unlocked the door, looking first through the peephole to see if there was anyone watching.

There was no one.

"Be careful."

She nodded, unable to meet his eyes. She hated the rejection she was feeling, but tried to ignore it. It wasn't important now.

"Come _right_ back. If you're longer than ten minutes, I'm coming in after you."

She narrowed her eyes at the empty hall. "I'll be fine."

He closed the door behind her but didn't lock it. He watched until she'd reached her own door, opened it, then locked it behind her.

He then locked his own door, and waited.

_**-SR-**_

Kagome breathed in the familiar scent of her own apartment, bright even in the light of the setting sun coming in through the west window. Shielding her eyes from the glare with her hands, she walked into the apartment.

Digging out an old backpack, she put inside a spare set of clothes, some food, and water. Pictures of her family and friends followed, and all the money she had in her apartment. She remembered her old pocket knife that was her father's, and threw it into the back pocket of her pants. She knew she probably wouldn't be coming back.

Nor did she want to.

She spotted her purse on the floor where she'd dropped it the night before. Pulling out her phone, she walked into the bathroom as she checked her messages. There were six.

She listened with growing concern as she went from message to message, all from Ayame and Sango. They were cryptic, and Sango's in particular were hurtful. She dabbed the moisture from her eyes as she washed her hands on the hand-towel.

_Kagome_.

She looked up, her eyes wide. _Inuyasha?  
_

_Are you alright?  
_

She raised a brow. _More or less_.

_Hurry along_.

_Yeah_.

She remembered having heard his thoughts when he'd come to her rescue the night before. _Could he just turn them off, or did he have an ability to make her hear them?_ She wished things weren't so confusing. She had enjoyed him inside her head last night, though, and this morning...

Leaving the bathroom, she walked into her bedroom, and there, on the bed, was a puddle of blood. Her blood froze. That had _not_ been there a few minutes ago.

_Inuyasha? Can you hear me?  
_

_Yes, Kagome_.

_**Yes, Kagome**_.

That voice wasn't Inuyasha's. It was too high, and had an edge of scorn she couldn't ignore.

_I'm coming_.

_Hurry_.

_**Yes, hurry, Inuyasha**_.

Kagome looked up. Sango stared at her from the ceiling, her lips crimson, droplets hanging from her chin. A stray cat hung lifeless from her hand. Her glare was almost as malevolent as her aura.

"Sango?"

Sango tilted her head, as if she hadn't heard her name right. She flashed her fangs at her former friend. "What? You act as if you don't know me, Kagome."

Inuyasha was pounding at the door, but after a moment he stopped. Kagome knew she was on her own, and hoped he was safe. She couldn't hear his thoughts anymore.

Kagome looked back at Sango, her hand slowly inching toward the knife in her pocket. If she could just keep Sango occupied...

Sango jumped down, landing like a cat on her bed, the dead cat still in her hand, forgotten, as she licked her fingers clean. She shook her head in disappointment. "Not as tasty as human."

"How did you get in here, Sango?" Kagome felt adrenaline rush through her as panic crept up her throat like a bad taste.

"I flew, you dumb bitch. _Easiest thing in the world_." She looked over her fingers with a hatred Kagome couldn't understand. "I wanted to be the one to kill you. He wants to turn you, but I don't agree with that. I think I deserve to do things _my_ way."

"What happened to you?" Kagome couldn't believe her friend was acting this way.

Sango looked at her incredulously. "Happened? _Happened?_ _You_ happened to me! You and your fucking dream vamp! I'm not complaining about the pros here, mind you, but this whole thing _is _your fault, Kagome! I mean, you could have at least trusted me enough to tell me about him. Then maybe I might have been prepared for what was to come. But you let me stumble around blindly, unable to protect myself with prior knowledge. And for that, I _hate _you. Funny," she said, putting her fist to her chin in thought, her arms crossed, "I used to like you so much more than Ayame. Now, though, we're equals. You, however, don't even compare. At least _she_ never kept anything from me."

Kagome never took her eyes off Sango. She had to get out of here, quickly. Inuyasha might need her help.

"I'm sorry, Sango. If I had known this was going to happen, I would never have-"

"Yeah, well, it's a little late now, isn't it?" Sango snarled, turning on her. She backed Kagome into the wall, frighteningly close. Her breath smelled or iron and old rotten meat.

Kagome had the knife in her hand. Flipping open the blade, she held it at the ready, concealed behind her back.

"You can't even be bothered to do the right thing and offer yourself up to me. It's the _least_ you could do, for screwing me over like this." Sango's face was inches from her own.

"I really am truly sorry, Sango. _God save you_." She plunged the knife into her friend's eye.

Sango's scream was unbelievably loud, so loud that the windows cracked, and the mirror above the bathroom sink shattered into a million pieces on the countertop.

Dashing away, Kagome ran to the bed, picked up the bow, and swiftly loaded it. Sango flew at her, her bloody face ugly and her good eye glowing red in the weakening light. Turning, Kagome aimed at her best friend, a montage of remembered moments spent in Sango's company flashing through her mind, times when they'd laughed together, cried together, had fun together. In Kagome's heart she knew the only way to save her friend was to end her.

"Goodbye, Sango," she whispered, and pulled the trigger. She squeezed her eyes shut against the blinding light as the arrow hit Sango's heart.

When the light faded, Kagome saw Sango on the floor, writhing in pain. Her hands gripped the shaft that was firmly embedded in her chest. Her tears were tears of blood. She reached out to Kagome.

"Finish me... please... I'll only come back again..."

Kagome nodded, her own tears streaming. She went to the kitchen, and came back with a meat cleaver. She knelt next to Sango's head, whispering, "I'm _so_ sorry, Sango, I wish things didn't have to be this way..."

Sango smiled with an effort, sincerely. "Me, too. I'm sorry I tried to hurt you, Kagome... his control is just too strong..."

"I know, Sango, shh," Kagome placed her hand on Sango's shoulder, and smoke issued up from her skin, and she winced. _What the hell?  
_

"Do it... please... free me from him... _easiest thing in the world_."

Kagome nodded once, and clenched her jaw at the familiar phrase, her heart twisting. With more force than she needed, she severed Sango's head from her body with a single swing, the cleaver embedding itself deeply in the wood beneath the carpet.

The head rolled away, the jaw slack. Kagome backed away, and grabbed up her bag. Saying a silent prayer for Sango's soul, she stuffed her phone in the backpack and slung it over her shoulder. She spotted the dead cat as she turned to leave, and, prying up the pocket knife from the eye of Sango's severed head, crying the whole time, silently, she severed the feline's head too, and dropped the corpse in a garbage bag, tying it up and flinging it over her shoulder.

It was time to go.

Inuyasha was her future now, and whatever they had to face they would overcome together. She had just killed one of her best friends; there wasn't anything that could stop her now from making that bastard pay.

_**-SR-**_

Inuyasha beat at Kagome's apartment door, his thoughts in a whirlwind. He sensed her presence before he saw her, and shut Kagome out of his thoughts for the time being.

If he killed her, he didn't want Kagome hearing it.

He had little time to berate himself for missing Sango's aura when Ayame demanded his full attention.

_Inuyasha, is that your name? She was right... you **are **cute... _

He turned, and saw the red-head lounging in the doorway to the stairwell. The elevator doors had been pried open, but no cab hung there. He assumed they'd destroyed it, leaving only one way for he and Kagome to leave the building.

Ayame sucked on her index finger provocatively, and smiled at him. He could feel the supplicant pressure of her aura in his mind as she tried to mesmerise him. He doggedly resisted, glaring at her and pulling one of the guns from his back pocket.

She rolled her eyes, and murmured aloud, "Not _that_ again." Heaving herself off the wall, she approached him, her fangs glinting in the fluorescent light as she smiled slyly at him. He held the gun trained on her heart, but did not yet pull the trigger. His curiosity demanded to know what her game was.

"You love her." It was a statement, not a question.

He blinked. _She was good... for a new-blood_.

She trailed a long red nail down his jaw, and played with the lapel of his jacket. "You made that mistake once before... or so I'm told." She stretched like a cat, her black dress making the dried blood from her earlier wounds flake off and flutter to the floor unnoticed.

She licked her fangs, and he felt his own begin to grow. Her smile grew. He let her believe her compulsion was working.

Leaning into him, she whispered, "Let him have her, Inuyasha. I promise, _nothing bad will happen_. We'll all be lovers soon..."

Inuyasha watched with morbid fascination as her lips moved closer, full and red in the dim light, but her chest lodged against the barrel of the gun before their lips made any contact, and he released the safety with a click, a smirk on his face.

Ayame let out a self-disgusted sigh at her own hubris. He backed her into the opposite wall and demanded low, "What does he want with her?"

Ayame stared at the ceiling before bringing her bored gaze to him, letting it flicker past him for only a moment, then smiled. "What else? He hasn't said much about that, though. We were supposed to round you up, but beyond that..." she trailed off, raising her finger to trace his jaw, her expression no longer disappointed, "...his plans are his own."

Kagome.s door clicked softly, and both Ayame and Inuyasha turned to look at her blood-covered clothes and hands, and the two bags she carried over her shoulder.

Kagome stopped when she saw them, and Ayame's smile morphed into an ugly frown. "You bitch, you killed your own friend-"

"I had to!" Kagome snapped, dropping both bags. "She _begged_ me to end her. What kind of friend would I be to bring this misery upon her only to let her suffer from it? You were right, Inuyasha, there is no cure except death for her now." A tear made its way down her face, but Ayame was in no mood to be sympathetic.

"You should have just done what Sesshoumaru wanted, Kagome! Then we'd all be in this together! Sango would be _alive_!"

Kagome raised her gaze to her friend's hunger-crazed red eyes. "_No_, Ayame. You aren't alive anymore. You gave that up when you gave up your soul. Now, you're damned for eternity. Your only salvation is going to be through us, but before we release you from your misery, we need you to do us a favour."

Ayame guffawed. "_Misery_? Are you fucking _kidding _me? You have _no_ idea what you're missing! I feel more alive now than I ever did, and free! I can do _whatever_ I want now, with no fear. I answer to _no one_! Fuck you and your favours!"

Kagome shook her head. "You answer to _him_."

Ayame snarled. "That's beside the point-"

"That _is _the point, Ayame. Please, don't make this any harder than it has to be. Just tell us where he is, and we promise there'll be no pain."

Ayame's eyes turned mutinous, and she tried to throw Inuyasha off with her immense strength, but he held her at bay. She glared with hatred at Kagome. "_You_ are all he wants, all he thinks about, and you would deny him his gift? You really are a callous bitch, Kagome. I'd kill to be in your shoes right now. He's offering you the world on a platter, you know, as undeserving of it as you are."

Kagome was getting to the end of her rope. She brought the crossbow up and aimed the loaded weapon in her former friend's face, her tone all business. "I don't want the world he's offering, Ayame. _Now spill it_!"

Ayame stared at the silver-tipped arrow and her expression lightened. Inuyasha increased the pressure on her to speed her response along. She bared her teeth at him, then finally complied. "He's waiting for you at an old abandoned warehouse on the waterfront, the old _Innes Inc_. building. Kagome, please," her face turned sad, and her tone was pleading. "Please, don't kill me. I promise not to try to hurt you anymore."

Kagome wavered outwardly, her expression sad. She set the crossbow against the wall on the floor and covertly grabbed the knife Inuyasha had given her, tucked away safely in her boot, on her way back up. Hiding its length behind her thigh, she shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, Ayame. I really wish things could've been different." She really did. Her heart broke to have to do this again so soon after her brush with Sango.

Ayame started to cry silent tears and begged her friend to have mercy. "Please Kagome," she whimpered, her eyes wet with blood, "Please... I'm sorry..."

"I am, too," Kagome whispered. "Goodbye, Ayame." And with a lightening quick swipe, she slit her friend's throat, the cut slicing deep. Ayame's face registered surprised shock as it toppled from her shoulders, blood dribbling lazily from the gaping wound.

Inuyasha released her body, which fell in a heap at their feet. He looked at her with regret.

"I'm sorry you had to do that, Kagome."

Kagome sighed. "It doesn't get easier with experience." She turned, and headed down the stairs, grabbing up the bags and her bow in one stride. He followed.

"We know where we have to go," she said, trying to keep the deep emotion at the loss of her friends out of her voice. She'd make sure to deal with all that when the danger had passed. She was nothing but remorseful in what she'd had to do tonight, but the tears freshly flowed anyway. "All we need to do now is get there, and kill that son of a bitch."

Inuyasha smiled at her, and rested a reassuring hand on her back, feeling the tiny pin-pricks of Holy power sting his hand. Whether she knew it or not, she was preparing herself for battle, and he just hoped she had the strength and willpower in her that it would take to defeat Sesshoumaru. They would both need to do everything in their power to take him down, and he, for one, was fully prepared to sacrifice his own life, if it meant salvation for hers. He realised that he'd grown to love her so much in such a short time, but regretted not a moment of their time spent together. If he didn't make it, he would treasure the memories for all time, alive or dead, until they met again.

Kagome couldn't control the fear she felt in her blood, the fear that she didn't have what it took to save Inuyasha or herself, let alone the rest of the world from this monster, but she was loath to let her feelings show. Stiffening her upper lip, she threw the bag with the dead cat in a garbage can, got in her car, and started it up. She tried to ignore the acid sensation as her own insecurities ate away at her confidence. She would try her best, and that was all anyone could ever ask of her. If it wasn't enough... she'd deal with that when the time came. The weight of the salvation of the world rested on her shoulders, and the sheer immensity of that responsibility was crushing her. She couldn't afford to mess up, but doubt lingered in her mind, weakening her defences.

She staunchly subdued her colossal fears as they drove to the waterfront, her mind awhirl with what was yet to come. Her anger built steadily as she thought about her friends, and the troubled man sitting next to her, and even herself, all of whom had suffered and paid with their blood at the hands of Sesshoumaru. She vowed with her life that he would pay for all the misery he'd caused, or her name wasn't Kagome Higurashi.

Her ancient soul demanded retribution, and she'd be damned if it didn't get it.

_**-SR-**_

Wooo, I love smut. It's so easy to write. Never take teasing from anyone who accuses you of watching porn. At least when the time comes for me I'll not be caught empty-handed, haha! That was a terrible pun. Anyway, hope you like, and comments are more than welcome (they're craved, seriously), so feel free to send your thoughts my way. _Vayan con Dios_, my friends!! P.S. Next chapter is going to be the last. So gear up for some major ass-whoopin'! And, seriously, porn is educational, in it's own way!


	7. Goodbye Cruel World

Well, this is it, my friends. Rest assured that I am always working on a new story for you, and this next one is a total riot. I think my toilet feels unduly punished because water leads to laughter from writing leads to REALLY GOTTA PEE!!! So, expect great things from me soon. Just to thank all the reviewers, the new and the old, and to say once again that you are the lifeblood of my stories and that without you, I am nothing. Thanks again!!

Deds:

**LoVe23** - I try to write wonderful smut, thank you for noticing! I just don't think a story for young adults is finished without at least one sexual encounter, so you will see that I rarely deviate from this pattern. The more smut the merrier, is my motto!

**Mystical Hanyou** - Ahh, I can always count on you to be disappointed that the smutty goodness is coming to a close. Yes, there is a lengthy fight (our as long as I could possibly drag it out, anyway) and Sesshy is very sexy, indeed! Hope to hear from you when the next story comes out, I'd hate to lose such a faithful reviewer! How long have you been following me? I'm _still _flattered! Never think for one moment that I don't look forward to hearing from you, and everyone else kind enough to leave a word or two. You guys rock!!

**FeuBrillant** - That's good! Whoever said a good read can wait is obviously dislexic!! I hope I haven't stolen too much from this book, and I've never even heard of it! Maybe great minds just think alike, eh? Thank you, Genie!

**InuGoddess715 **- Yes, he does deserve an ass-whoopin'. He'll get his comeuppance, for sure! Too bad tho, since he's so smexy... Anyway, killing one's friends is quite traumatising, and Kags is definately pissed. There will be blood, my friend! Oh, yes! Glad the smut passes your standards. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!

**Nimeway** - Ah, another faithful correspondant. Go Team InuOme!! Glad to hear you'll still follow my work, too, familiar people are just like Cheers, the show, where everybody knows your name! (It's Shannon, if anyone didn't know.) Personally, I wouldn't know about the whole, "your anatomy just doesn't match up with mine" dealy, but I trust your word on it! Keep drinking the black stuff, and hope to hear from you again soon!

**_Sanguine Ronin_**

_Chapter Six_

**_"Life's A Bitch... Then You Fry."_**

It was dark by the time they finally located their destination. Deserted, and dilapidated beyond any sort of repair, the warehouse sat in a row of perhaps twenty others, all in the same state. The waves against the pilings of the nearby docks sloshed in the blackness, the only light coming from the red moon high in the navy sky. No stars tonight; only wispy clouds, and the ever-present malice of that blood-red moon.

Kagome parked her car and both she and Inuyasha got out, he using his senses to locate any threats, she listening for any sound out of the ordinary. Aside from the water, the only other sound came from an open door in the side of the building, banging in the hot haze off the lake.

"You ready?"

Kagome looked hard at Inuyasha in the darkness, and, picking up her crossbow and loading it, replied, "That son of a bitch made me kill my best friends. He ain't gettin' any mercy from me."

Inuyasha smiled to himself. Though it had been cruel, the deaths of her two friends had given Kagome the willpower and fortitude, not to mention the drive and attitude, it would take to survive this unholiest of missions.

Following Inuyasha to the open door, Kagome felt something inside her grow cold. Inuyasha was all she had now; if anything were to happen to him... _No_, she told herself, _stop it. Worry will only distract you_.

Inuyasha left the door ajar behind them. His eyes adjusted quickly to the inky blackness of the interior of the warehouse, the only light hazy and red filtering in through a couple of windows at the roof-line, broken and smudged with grime. Boxes were piled against the walls, some six layers high, but the majority was open space and smooth concrete, gravel and debris dotting the shadows here and there, blown in through the broken glass and open door. Kagome's eyes were taking their time, but before long her gaze had adjusted to the dim light.

Inuyasha felt the hair on his neck rise. It was _too _quiet.

Kagome felt the evil in the room as clearly as she felt the mouldy, dusty air against her skin. _He was here_.

_Miss Kagome, how you make me laugh..._

Spinning around, her back to Inuyasha's, Kagome began to sweat, but doggedly refused to give in to her fear.

_I loved you once... unfortunately, I cannot stop my dead heart from desiring you. Your soul is older than you know, Kagome. Has my little brother told you just how old?_

Kagome kept her back firmly to Inuyasha.s, refusing to let her guard down. Slowly, vampires she didn.t recognise began to show themselves, one by one. Luckily, they seemed to believe they had the upper hand, and only five appeared to be with Sesshoumaru, who had yet to reveal himself.

Inuyasha, at Kagome.s back, was having a hard time ignoring his brother's silky voice as it penetrated his mind. He blinked rapidly, and could feel his grip on his mind slipping.

_She is worthless, brother mine... Give her to me..._

Kagome's back brushed his and the link was severed, his brother's husky voice abruptly cut off from his thoughts. He took comfort in her touch and tried not to break contact with her again. His warmth against her back was reassuring to Kagome, who swallowed her fear forcefully. The moment of truth had come, and she had a plan that she hoped would succeed, but she couldn't tell Inuyasha of it; he would refuse to let her go through with it, but in order to kill her enemy, she must.

The five vampires that surrounded them, all beautiful women, tried to lure Inuyasha away from her, but he kept his back to hers, preventing their minds from penetrating his own. She, however, heard it all.

_Come, Inuyasha... Come to us... Leave that bitch behind and we will pleasure you beyond your wildest dreams... Don't fear us, honey, just let us take you for a ride... Lovers would never hurt each other... _

Sesshoumaru stepped out from behind the crates atop the highest pile in a back corner, his hair melting from black to silver and back again. Kagome had spied her opening and, hoping Inuyasha was strong enough to fend for himself, stepped away from him.

He spun. "Kagome-"

But the vamps fell on him, caressing his hair and face, and nothing more. They held him firmly. Sesshoumaru whispered in her ear, "I shall save him for you, for you will be hungry when we are through."

He was by her side in an instant, stroking her jaw lovingly.

Inuyasha's face fell. _Had she been playing him all along?_

Her look was neutral. Her heart was breaking, but she must give _nothing_ away. _Not yet_.

Sesshoumaru took her hand and brought it to his lips, touching them in a feather-light caress. She could feel his mind grappling for control over hers, so she pretended to be compliant, and smiled devilishly at him. His answering smile was a sure sign her ruse was working.

Drawing her into his arms, he brought his mouth down on hers, looking at Inuyasha boldly as he kissed her passionately, his brother's growls heightening the sweetness of the kiss. Kagome felt awful.

Breaking the kiss, she took his hand, and smiled at him, her eyes like that of a doe's. "Sesshoumaru," she breathed, running her hand intimately over the lapel of his jacket, feeling the muscles tense beneath.

"Well, Inuyasha, it would seem the damsel has chosen me over you this time," he gloated, a ghost of a smile on his face, a big deal for someone who rarely ever smiled for any reason. Kagome leaned on him, looking frail. Inuyasha struggled hard, and yelled, "Fuck you, Sesshoumaru! I'll fucking kill you, you son of a bitch!"

"Tsk, tsk, big words, dog boy. Don't write checks your body can no longer cash, brother mine." With those words, Sesshoumaru dipped Kagome in his arms, her head lolling to the side, exposing her beautiful, white neck. Her jugular pulsed steadily as he gazed at it, running the tip of his tongue over her salty skin.

"Let me show you," he breathed to her, holding her in his arms, breathing in her scent, "what happened that day so many years ago, and maybe you will understand why your former self made the wrong choice in choosing the half-breed."

Kagome forced herself not to flinch as he plunged his teeth into her artery, sucking the life-force from her very veins. Instead of a blurred image of his hair in her face, out of focus because of its close proximity to her eyes, Kagome's whole field of view changed.

Before her, as if she were witnessing the entire scene from someone else's point of view, was a woman in red and white and Inuyasha, wearing a red suit in the traditional style of Feudal Era Japan. She frowned. _Why was he showing her this?  
_

Inuyasha held the woman, and kissed her. She felt her vision narrow, and a feeling of absolute hate filled her. It hit her then that she was seeing past events from Sesshoumaru's point of view. Kikyou had scorned him; he fast-forwarded through it all, just slow enough to give her an idea of what was going on, and then came to his last-ditch effort at seducing Kikyou, her former self. She was disgusted but not surprised to see him use the Jewel to outwit Kikyou, and then turn her into a vampire, an evil one, corrupted by his own unholy hatred.

Kagome had had enough; she'd heard all this already (though she had no doubt Sesshoumaru had embellished a bit to cast himself in a more innocent light, but she didn't buy into seeing him bite Kikyou gently, or profess his pure, undying love. _Yeah, right! Like that had ever happened!_), and she began to try to search his mind.

Releasing her from his grip, he licked her blood from his teeth and whispered, "Delicious. _Look at me_, _Kagome_."

Kagome looked at him, and felt her blood begin to pound through her like a trip-hammer on a steel anvil. The change was occurring, and she scrunched up her face as it wrought its wrath through her body painfully. Sesshoumaru held her close while she adjusted to the changes.

Inuyasha felt a tear fall from his eye, and he slumped in the steel bands of the vamps' arms holding him, defeated. _She had been so strong, or so he'd wanted to believe... and now, she was lost to him forever... again.  
_

When Kagome opened her eyes again, they were red. She licked her teeth, and felt the sharp points prick her clumsy tongue. Everything was so much clearer, and she was hungry. She suppressed her hunger, and felt her eyes dilate back to normal, and the hunger wasn't so hard to deal with. Unsupressing it, she felt her pupils grow huge and the hunger attempt to take over her. She found she could control it fairly easily, and besides her heightened senses and deformed teeth, she felt exactly the same.

Sesshoumaru looked into her eyes, and she let the red flare. He smirked, her large pupils beautiful in the red sheen of the moon and the dusty air of the warehouse. It was done; her pure soul was finally his for the taking.

"There, my love," he whispered, licking her cheek sensually, "was that so bad? Are you hungry?"

Kagome stared back at him with a lust-filled expression, occupying his ego while she searched his mind. He responded to her willingness in kind, and kissed her once again for his broken brother's benefit.

Kagome played along, but was busily sifting through hundreds of years of information. Following a strand that seemed promising, she pulled him into a crushing embrace to distract him while she followed it.

It led her to an image of Sesshoumaru that she'd only glimpsed moments earlier. Instead of the black-haired man who kissed her now, she saw a young man with long, white hair, golden eyes, and striped cheeks. A crescent moon dotted his forehead, and an elegant, if not somewhat feminine outfit accompanied his battle attire, a large steel shoulder-guard and breast-plate. Two swords hung at his waist in his navy and gold sash, a thin, tidy katana and a long, medieval-looking sword with a rectangular hilt that flared at its tip. No sheath would fit over the wide end of such a weapon, so it remained uncovered, and exposed to the elements.

This young man wandered alone for a long time, before a green imp joined him, followed by a small child. She moved past all that; it wasn't what she was looking for, but an encounter with a black wolf in his memory piqued her interest.

He'd followed the wolf, apparently, smelling sickness on the animal. It foamed at the mouth when he finally cornered it, its eyes red with hunger. It wore a silver collar about its neck, and this collar smoked and hissed terribly.

The wolf was diseased, that much was certain. Sesshoumaru, a stoic young man with no fears, she'd quickly learned, had taken on the creature for no more reason than to prove his dominance. But things had not gone well.

Lashing out at the animal with a glowing green vine produced from his fingertips, Sesshoumaru had whipped it at the wolf, only to have his whip snagged in the animal's teeth and yanked, pulling the young demon off balance. It was at this point that Sesshoumaru had realised that he wasn't dealing with any ordinary rabid wolf.

The wolf had been hiding its demon nature, and had snared Sesshoumaru. Now it pulled him in for the kill, and much to the struggling Lord's dismay, the wolf had no problem overpowering him. It bit down on his neck with so much force that the bones crunched, and as it held it's victim's head still between powerful jaws, its tongue snaked out to lap up the demonic blood flowing from the pulverised wound.

Sesshoumaru went limp, losing consciousness as images of the wolf's beginnings filled his mind, a lust so strong to kill punished by the Gods for a lifetime of murder blended with a lycan ancestry. The wolf dropped him, and howled to the moon, before the inu-demon blood it had ingested ripped it to pieces, the blood too strong, too volatile, too disparate from its own for the creature to tolerate. It had won the battle, but lost the war.

When Sesshoumaru awoke he was no longer himself. The urge to kill had always been with him, but only as a matter of conquest; now, it consumed him, for no reason other than to sate his blood-lust. His hunger for blood was insatiable, and soon he began to attack anything that he could get his claws on. His appearance changed and he learned to blend in with society and mask his unique markings to facilitate trust in his victims, making for easier kills.

Kagome had one last flash of a silver arrow point flying straight at her after she stopped invading his memories and concentrated on what was going on in the present.

Releasing his lips, she stared intimately into his eyes, and replied, "Insatiably, though you do quite a fine job of stifling it." He preened at her compliment, and, his arm about her waist, brought her to stand before Inuyasha, who had long since crumbled to his knees at the sight of his beloved taken from him for a second time. Kagome knew she was not evil, but it was in her and Inuyasha's best interest that Sesshoumaru remained unaware of it for now. She took a mental note of where she had dropped her crossbow on the floor before turning her attentions to Inuyasha.

Kneeling before him, so their faces were level, she lifted his chin gently so she could see his eyes. They were wet, and had a look of utter desolation to them that she couldn't bear to see. His eyes searched hers, red and black, hungry. In order for this to work he had to believe the worst of her, and it almost tore her to pieces to keep him in the dark.

Sesshoumaru watched her closely. He could not read her mind, or hear her thoughts, and this troubled him. He had no awareness of her foray into his memories, but her easy submission implied she was genuinely under his power. He attributed his inability to telepathically link with her mind to her holy powers. He felt no cause for concern... yet. But he was wary.

The five vamps held Inuyasha up by his arms and cooed seductively to him, but his mind had shut them out. They had done nothing but fill his head with empty promises and sexual fantasies, but that had not blocked out the image of his brother taking from him the woman he had wanted most to keep for himself.

Kagome licked the side of his nose and tightened her grip on his chin. She was as he was now, a daywalker, unmasking her vamp side to cover up her disgust for what she was about to do. But there was a chance it would save him, so she would do it.

"Mmm, your blood smells wonderful," she purred, hearing Sesshoumaru's suspicious line of thought. She turned back to look at him over her shoulder. "Would you like a taste, darling?" Sesshoumaru smiled at that. "The look of anguish on his face and the defeat I see in his eyes are reward enough for me, my love. He is yours for the disposing. I have no further use for him."

She blew him a kiss and turned back to Inuyasha.

"Kagome, _no_," he begged pitifully, his voice a mere whisper, "kill me, but don't make me one of _them_, please." Her fingers gripped his chin painfully.

_Pretend this hurts_.

Her words in his mind brought forth a look that she deftly hid from Sesshoumaru's view with her shoulder.

_What!?  
_

_Just do it!_ She stabbed his neck with her two sharpest fingernails, her head bent over him and hiding her intent, inflicting a neat wound that bled profusely at first, but trickled to a stop almost immediately as his body healed. He moaned in a short yelp of hot pain. She covertly licked the blood from her fingers, hiding her look of disgust and her own actions from the other vamps.

The vamps holding him breathed a sigh of satisfaction, and released him to kneel on all fours, breathing raggedly. _What had she been talking about, **pretend** that her wound had hurt? It had seared him like hot coal!  
_

_Now play along_.

He felt no changes in his body, but heeded her words without rebuttal, and fell to the floor, writhing in pain, summoning his normally kept-short incisors to lengthen and his golden eyes to bleed red. She smiled, licking her lip and said aloud, "I think I'll save you for later, Inuyasha. Your blood is the sweetest I've tasted. Your anger brings out your flavour."

Sesshoumaru wrapped her in his arms once again. "Only for now, my love. Soon you will taste a blood so sweet you will swoon with the pleasure. He is purely fodder for your sweet-tooth now." He nuzzled her neck and licked Inuyasha's blood from her lips, savouring the spicy tang of iron.

"Come, my flower," he said silkily, "I will give you a night to remember for all time when I possess your immortal soul."

She grinned, and picked up the crossbow from the ground. "Before we begin, do you mind?" she asked innocently. "I hate having to share you with an audience. Inuyasha's are the only set of eyes I want to see us making love."

Raising the crossbow, she aimed it at the five vamps and fired, reloading as each one vanished in a puff of ash, her last contribution to the scene a high-pitched scream of agony.

Sesshoumaru remarked, "Jealous, sweetheart?"

She dipped her head in a demure way. "What can I say? I'm a greedy girl."

He laughed, deep and hearty, and she found herself liking his laugh. It was rare, and beautiful, but she didn't hesitate to use that moment to send Inuyasha a message.

_Distract him!  
_

Wasting no words, Inuyasha let out an inhuman growl, and launched himself at Sesshoumaru, Kagome backing away quickly to load her last arrow.

"What do you think you're doing, Inuyasha? Attempting to win her back is futile! Her soul is _mine_!"

Inuyasha grinned in his brother's face for the first time in his long life. "If you could read her mind, Sesshoumaru," he grunted, punching his brother's jaw, "you'd know that she _never_ succumbed to your persuasions! Just how vapid do you think she is?"

Sesshoumaru stopped struggling with Inuyasha when he felt the pointed tip of an arrow grinding into his scalp. "Kagome," he drawled, looking at her askance with betrayal in his eyes, "yet _again_ you have played me false. Do you honestly believe you'll get away with this?"

She snorted. "I already have. I hold all the cards, and you just gave me the strength to play them. Inuyasha, hold him."

Sesshoumaru struggled, but with Kagome's added strength, they easily subdued him. Sesshoumaru would not bend, though. _"You will both pay for your bravado with your blood!!"_ He screamed, and began to transform.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled over the howling wind that surrounded them as Sesshoumaru attempted to transform, "Now!"

Gathering everything she had in her, Kagome channelled her purity into the arrow in her crossbow and fired it into Sesshoumaru's head.

With a terrible earth-shattering scream, Sesshoumaru exploded into a burst of bright light, seared to ash by the holy purity in the silver arrow. When the light died, his charred corpse hissed and burned around the arrow, melting everything it came into contact with. Kagome felt a burst of pain, and then... nothing.

**_-SR-_**

Inuyasha was calling her name when Kagome opened her eyes. She was in his lap and he held her close, stroking her hair. The worried expression on his face turned into a smile as she stared at him.

"Did we get him?" She croaked.

He nodded, his eyes annoyingly becoming moist again, "Yeah, kid, we got him."

She heaved a sigh of relief before passing out again.

**_-SR-_**

Kagome awoke in a bed, with a wrought-iron frame in a room full of covered up objects. Her hand felt warm. She remembered what had happened, and sat up as if she'd been terribly pinched. "Inuyasha!"

"I'm here," he shushed her, rubbing her back. She pulled him into her arms and hugged him tight, and he revelled in the warmth that filled him. _He loved her so much..._

Kagome licked her teeth, just to make sure. They were blunt, as they should be. She squeezed him, her heart pounding nervously despite her audacious gesture. Pulling back, she asked, "Are you okay? What happened?" She noted his violet eyes. She missed the gold, but violet was beautiful, too.

"I put his remains inside a hollow cement block, filled the hole, and dropped it into the middle of the Lake. He's gone, sweetheart. And so is the disease."

She grinned. "I thought you looked different. Is this the real you?"

He sighed. "This is the _human_ me. I gave up my demon half to marry Kikyou a long time ago, and I can never get it back. But there's an upside. Now I won't outlive you when you grow old, because I couldn't bear the thought of living even one more day without you, Kagome. I love you so much-"

She didn't give him a chance to finish before she planted her lips against his and he pulled her back into the warm cocoon of his arms. She couldn't believe how lucky they were, to have survived this whole ordeal and come out unharmed, finding love in each other's company not once, but _twice_. She pitied her former self, for being denied this man's love truly would be a fate worse than death.

She let go his mouth and whispered, "I love you, Inuyasha, _my dog boy_."

He snarled playfully, "Hey!"

She grinned. "I think I feel... faint."

He lifted a cocky brow. "Oh yeah? _I _can fix that." He jumped on her, and she giggled happily. Resting his forehead against hers, he whispered, "Promise me you'll never leave me, Kagome. Not again, ever?"

She smiled and nodded her head vehemently, "Cross my heart!"

He drew her down into the nest of sheets and her last thought before he consumed her mind and her body with his hot caresses was, _I'll miss you, Sango and Ayame. Rest in peace, my friends.  
_

The painting of Kagome Inuyasha had mounted above the bed watched the lovers from the wall, her _Mona Lisa_ smile giving nothing away, her eyes twinkling in the morning light.

**_-SR-_**

Well, that's that. Never fear, you haven't seen the last of me!! I shall return soon, with a gut-buster. Haven't written one of them in a while... hope you guys like! Ta ta for now, and thanks again!!


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